help me id this plant....or weed!

10 years ago

We recently bought a piece of property and there are plants all over. some i know just what they are, but others are baffling! The one that I am trying to figure out is this big green one, it is tall and is growing in a sunny area (we live central MA) The leaves are big, no flowers yet and there are a LOT of them around. I also spotted some little black specks on the ground (which i discovered could be pigweed seeds?) but the pictures don't look anything like this 'thing'! please help :)

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Comments (8)

Iris GW
10 years ago
Pokeweed, Phytolacca americana. Native perennial that grows from a large taproot. Blooms in summer, birds like the berries. Most people don't want it in their "yard" but if you have a wild area, it's appropriate to leave it for wildlife.
flying_c
10 years ago
FWIW, pokeweed is also pretty poisonous (though parts can be eaten with the right processing). So if you have kids/pets who'll be using the area, that's something to consider.
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Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
10 years ago
That's a little too vague to be useful. Any kids small enough to put random leaves in their mouth shouldn't be outside unsupervised as a high number of native and/or common landscape plants would be problematic if ingested. I've not encountered any tales of pets poisoning themselves with this ubiquitous native.

These plants make berries that can look edible. If one wanted to have a pokeweed plant in a cultivated yard with young kids, it would be easy to remove any berries low enough to be reached by young hands. I did the same thing with the Nandina at my Mom's house when my son was at that age. This looks like a fenced-in yard, not where many would want to have pokeweed, regardless of their feelings about nature/native plants.

Lmcdonald, is that a solid patch of pokeweed in your pic? If so, that spot looks like a good candidate for smothering but I think you would need sheet metal or something equivalently strong to do it. Cardboard/newspaper and a little mulch will stop a lot of weed infestations, but probably not mature pokeweed (coming back from adult tap roots.) Digging that all up would be a chore nobody would envy. If you decide chemical warfare is necessary, please seek instructions specific to this plant, and a product known to be effective. You will probably find some discussions about it in the weeds forum.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
10 years ago
it the cool berries that are a kid attractant.. later in summer...

but this OBNOXIOUS WEED.. ought to be dead by then ...

it has a horseradish sized root... and if any piece is left in the ground.. it will be back.. sooner or later..

i use roundup on older ones.. and it usually take 2 or 3 applications to kill the whole thing...

ken
fatamorgana2121
10 years ago
I know people are trying to be helpful in pointing out toxic plants but there are so many other toxic plants in your gardens, lawns, parks, etc. that you would drive your self nuts and have a pretty barren place if you tried to remove every plant that has some toxicity. :)

Here is the info on how poisonous pokeberries really are. It says, "Eating over 10 berries may cause headache, abdominal pain, and severe diarrhea."

In the right place, pokeweed is a beautiful, large plant. If you have a small garden, poke probably isn't for you. But in a large garden or natural setting, it would be an excellent choice.

FataMorgana

ps....you might enjoy an article I wrote on children and toxic plants. It is the link below.

Here is a link that might be useful: The Teaching Plant
Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
10 years ago
Fata, your blog is beautiful, and I love text of the article also. So glad you included this link. I put a bookmark, and hope you don't mind if I share it in similar situations in the future. I feel the same way and thought I had said something similar (in a much less attractive nutshell) above, but I really like your offering, and the great pics. I look forward to exploring other posts in your blog at some point in the near future. Your pic of nightshade made me a little homesick for OH! No fun to remove, but always loved to see it anywhere but MY property.

Ken, your latest pokeweed comment sounds like you are talking about something current. If you have successfully killed them with RU, why would you continually be battling mature plants? If they are new sprouts, a baby pokeweed is really easy to pull, or hoe, so I'm left to wonder why the pokeweeds are left to get older in the first place in the face of your strong aversion. Not that it's any of my business, but unbridled curiosity is killing me.
Iris GW
10 years ago
I agree - that is a very nice post. Well said.
fatamorgana2121
10 years ago
I'm glad you all enjoyed the article and my blog. Thanks for the compliments!

Please do share the article or any other articles as you wish or feel is appropriate. I wrote the toxic plants and children article hoping that it would encourage people to introduce themselves and any young people in their lives to their plant neighbors with respect and learning rather than fear. Both the plants and the children will be so much the better for it!

FataMorgana

help me id this plant....or weed!

Comments (8)

Iris GW

flying_c

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