Common Pokeweed
Description:
A tall, large-leved, branching
plant with reddish stems and long racemes of small white flowers.
Flowers:
About 1'4" wide;
sepals 5, white, petal-like.
5-12" long, elliptical
lanceolate, tapering at both ends.
Fruit:
Drooping clusters of dark
purple-black berries, each 1/4" wide.
Height:
To 10'.
Flowering:
July-September.
Habitat:
Open woods, damp thickets,
clearings, and roadsides.
Comments:
This frequently troublesome
weed has poisonous berries and roots; however, emerging young shoots can
be gathered before the pink color appears, boiled in at least two changes
of water, and eaten as greens. The berry sap was used as a dye by the
early colonists and has also been used to color cheap wine.