Native to the eastern, Midwestern and southern US.
Also known as dragonberries, inkberries, and poke sallet
Herbaceous perennial plant growing 4-10 feet tall
All parts of the plant are poisonous to humans, dogs and livestock, causing rahes, diarrhea, vomiting on contact with the skin.
Leaves are large, narrow and bright green, turning dull yellow in the fall.
Flowers and fruits are both very showy, growing in a long, stalked cluster and persisting through most of the year. These attract bees, small mammals and songbirds.
Requires at least partial sun, clay, loamy or sandy soil, and good drainage.
Hardiness zones 4-8
Sentimental and Symbolic Value
Pokeweed was once a staple food in Southern Appalachia, and remains an important delicacy and cultural artifact. The leaves and stems must be boiled at least twice to remove the toxins, and when paraped correctly state similar to spinach. Their local edibility was brought to national prominence with the 1969 hit song Polk Salad Annie by Tony Joe White, which peaked at #8 on the Billboard Top 100. Various southern towns have "poke salad festivals" to this day, including Toccoa, GA, Arab, AL, Blanchard, LA, Gainesboro, TN, and Harlan, KY.
The English name pokeweed comes from the Virgiina Algonquian word pokan, meaning bloody, alluding to its use as a writing ink and dye. The Algonquian people used it to color feathers, arrowshafts, and garments. A now-debunked folktale claims that the Declaration of Independence was written in pokeweed ink.
Specimen photographed found at Lost Lake, Groton, Massachusetts
Plant History and Etymology
Despite its toxic nature, the pokeweed has had a long history of usage in American Indian and early colonial medicine as well as modern alternative medicine and dietary supplements. King's American Dispensatory, 1854, a seminal American book on eclectic medicine by John Uri Lloyd and Harvey Wickes Felter notes that pokeberry products were commonly ingested as folk medicine for issues such as inflamation and autoimmune diseases. It is currently being explorered as having potential in combatting AIDS, and the American Cancer Society notes that it is a somewhat anecdotally promising, but not scientifically backed supplement for mumps, arthritis and other skin conditions.
The pokeweed has been a staple of souther Appalachian cuisine for generations, but the commercial pokeweed canning industry came to an end in 2000 when Allen Canning Company, the final company in business, closed down.
Design Considerations
Because P. americana is poisonous to the touch, it should not be planted in any place where people or domestic animals are likely to come into contact with it, but it could make a good addition to an aesthetic or fragrant planting where close contact isn't a serious concern. The leaves are large, attractive and fragrant and the smooth, purple stem is showy in the winter months. The flowers grow in a long, cylindrical formation called a raceme, blooming in a green and white throughout the late summer and early fall. These then give way to large black and purple fruits which display through the early winter. The plant is low maintenance but spreads rapidly, some management and cutting may be necessary; always wear thick gloves and layer clothing when handling it.
Sources
“Phytolacca Americana (American Pokeweed, Common Pokeweed, Garnet, Pidgeon Berry, Poke, Pokeberry, Pokeweed, Scoke) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox.” 2021. Ncsu.edu. 2021. https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/phytolacca-americana/.
Wikipedia Contributors. 2021. “Phytolacca Americana.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. November 29, 2021. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytolacca_americana#Uses.
John King, Harvey Wickes Felter & John Uri Lloyd, 1898, "Entry: Phytolacca," in King's American Dispensatory, Cincinnati : Ohio Valley Co.
“Phytolacca Americana Pokeweed, American Pokeweed, Garnet, Pigeon Berry, Poke PFAF Plant Database.” 2021. Pfaf.org. 2021. https://pfaf.org/User/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Phytolacca+americana#:~:text=Phytolacca%20americana%20is%20a%20PERENNIAL,both%20male%20and%20female%20organs).
Davina van Buren. 2019. “A Forgotten Food of the American South.” Bbc.com. 2019. https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20190318-a-forgotten-food-of-the-american-south.