What is this?

[S1969]

@JB

Pokeberry isn’t invasive, it’s native, but it can definitely be aggressive.

Yes, you are right. Used the wrong word. It grows and spreads very easily. And birds do love it, but then they poop purple so choose where you let it grow carefully. (Not by clothes lines and white cars!)

I belong to a plant ID group on Facebook and people ask about this plant all the time. It’s probably best for people to tell others that it is toxic, because if you don’t even know what it is, you surely aren’t in a position to cook it safely. But people always want to share their recipes. While I’ve never had it - I doubt very much that it’s worth the hassle to eat unless you’re starving. (Which is probably why people figured out it could be eaten safely if you do it right. Hunger makes lots of things seem reasonable.)

[Mosey_2003]

I’m drowning in the stuff here. Plus white mulberry. The birds all poop purple for ages here. Someday I’m gonna raze the place, I swear

[Texarkana]

I’ve always heard it’s toxic, but I can’t say I’ve seen an animal have a problem with it in my entire life.

We especially have a ton of it around the mid-Atlantic. Gray/white animals frequently like to give you heart attacks with it, smearing the berries all over themselves so they look like a bloody mess until you get close and see the purple tinge.

I never have a problem with it in the pasture; mowing always keeps it at bay. But it’s a plant that will undoubtedly pop up in unmaintained fencelines or unmowed areas.

[Annie10]

Thanks everyone! Mine have hay 24/7 and I have pretty decent pasture so no one is eating anything inappropriate (whew) . Just wanted to be sure. But since we are still doing storm cleanup no time like the present to yank it out.

[AllTheCarrots]

@Texarkana

Gray/white animals frequently like to give you heart attacks with it, smearing the berries all over themselves so they look like a bloody mess until you get close and see the purple tinge.

Agreed. Pokeberry exists for kids to make paint with during elaborate make-believe play, and to give grey horses a target when they roll.

Here’s mine in his Taylor Swift era last fall:

[Red_Dust]

it’s somewhat of a pioneer plant, reclaiming farm and garden land that is left to go ‘to seed’
It does not like getting mower frequently.
It’s also called ink berry, wiki says the early settlers used it to make ink from it.
My late husband loved it. I can take it or leave it, but I sure won’t cook it. I think it stinks when you boil it.
I just cut it down when it gets in the way. And after over 2 years of minimal yard care, that is in many places. On the plus side, I am having a lot more butterflies this year. Who knew, they liked tall grass.

[JB]

@Texarkana

I’ve always heard it’s toxic, but I can’t say I’ve seen an animal have a problem with it in my entire life.

I would say most people never hear of an animal getting sick from a toxic plant, since the vast majority of animals won’t eat what’s toxic, not on purpose, not something like this. But it is quite toxic if someone decided it’s tasty

@Texarkana

Gray/white animals frequently like to give you heart attacks with it, smearing the berries all over themselves so they look like a bloody mess until you get close and see the purple tinge.

My WB (my profile pic) had white hinds and when he was a youngster, he found a way to get his legs stained nice and red which gave me palpatations every time because he was already injury-prone!

[Demerara_Stables]

@S1969

Neither dogs nor horses will typically eat pokeweed or nightshade.

Just for anyone reading this thread in the future looking for nightshade advice - some (admittedly weird) horses absolutely will intentionally eat nightshade. Had a Friesian that had a full grassy pasture and would lean over the fence for mouthfuls of nightshade. Caught her doing it twice before I was able to get it all out. Best to pull anything toxic as you never know when your horse might be the weird one. 🤦🏻

FWIW she had zero ill effects from the nightshade.

[Rackonteur]

Yep, it made ink back when Americans used quill pens. And James K. Polk’s supporters wore it in their buttonholes when he was running for president and spelling wasn’t standardized. Shows how to pronounce his name, presumably. We used to have a lawn worker who asked permission to pick it. And I made a quill pen once to try the ink – pretty color!

[risuenaVT]

@Texarkana

Gray/white animals frequently like to give you heart attacks with it, smearing the berries all over themselves so they look like a bloody mess until you get close and see the purple tinge.

My friend’s haflinger has more than once almost given me a heart attack when I’ve been horsesitting her farm. The mostly white paint seems to do better at avoiding it, or maybe he just doesn’t have the same sense of humor as the haflinger.

[S1969]

That is odd. But when you have large pastures, it’s not easy to just pull some of these weeds. I know a few people who have 20+ pastures and mow once a year. There is no way for them to manage that.

My nightshade only ever grew on the other side of the fence as well, but it would grow high enough to hang over. Never had a horse even look at it.