Pokeweed stem and berries

A herbaceous perennial plant in family Phytolaccaceae growing up to 2.4 m in height. It is native to the eastern United States and has significant toxicity.

comments (3)

Christine Young

Lion

Nice shot! My grandmother used to cook these - the leaves can be eaten when young, but you have to boil them in several changes of water to get rid of the toxins. It's a lot of work for not much sustenance. The leaves taste like green beans though. I'm pretty sure the berries are always toxic to humans. Posted 6 years ago
1. Ruth Spigelman
  
  Lion
  
  Wow. I remember being shown these when visiting PA and hearing 'highly toxic to humans' and had assumed that meant all parts of the plant. I should have fully researched. You are right, what a lot of effort in cooking. I always think about how humans came to utilise things they found in the natural world - how many deaths there must have been as they tried and tested all the flora and fauna they crossed paths with over the vast stretch of time. Posted 6 years ago, modified 6 years ago
2. 1. Christine Young
    
    Lion
    
    Exactly - I can only imagine how many people died while sampling nature's delights! My grandmother and her family did a lot of foraging, and some things were definitely questionable in how safe they were. But, they took great care in preparations. Posted 6 years ago