Broad Green-Leaf Plants With Thick, Juicy Pink Stems

Description

• Pokeweed is a perennial, growing 3 to 10 feet tall. In spring, when the plants begin actively growing, they are small with pink to red fleshy stems. As they grow, berries form on green or white flowers that hang on stalks in clusters. As the plant grows taller, the stalk hollows and the berries ripen to a deep purple. Leaves are smooth and dark green, often with pink to red stems.

Pokeweed Is Poisonous

• Pokeweed was a favorite food a generation ago. Enthusiasts still harvest leaves when they are immature and boil them two or three times, changing the cooking water each time. The claim is that the water changes help leach out the dangerous chemicals contained within. Pokeweed, however, is considered a poisonous plant because it contains compounds such as saponins, oxalates and phytolacine. The roots and seeds have the highest concentrations, but these chemicals are found throughout the plant.

Chemical Reactions

• The chemicals found in pokeweed react differently among livestock, birds and humans. Birds seem to be able to eat the berries with little trouble. When they digest the berries, the seeds remain and are deposited far and wide. In livestock, pokeweed can cause colic and diarrhea. Humans often react with vomiting, spasms or convulsions. Pokeweed can cause paralysis of the respiratory organs as well.

Pokeweed Elimination

• Many people choose to destroy pokeweed, even though it is rarely invasive. Because pokeweed is a thick-rooted perennial, it is difficult to eliminate. Hand pulling is recommended, though you should do so with caution since the natural dyes in the plant are likely to stain skin and clothing. Burn plants that have been uprooted, so that seeds are unable to spread.