Pokeberry

Pokeberry Plants 

Pokeberry plants, phytolacca Americana, also known as the American Pokeweed plant, are abundant worldwide. It belongs to the family Phytolaccaceae with around 100 species.

Two of the plant species are native to Eastern North America. This plant typically grows between 6 to 10 feet in height but may also be found as tall as 21 feet. The plant is shrub-like with a pinkish-red hollow stem around 2 inches in diameter.

It has beautiful white flowers and berry-like fruit in the fruiting season.

The flowers appear in linear clusters on short, reddish-purple stems with no petals. They have five sepals each and around ten stamens. While the flowers are usually white or green, they may also be purplish or pinkish.

This plant flowers from May to October in Northern states, while year-round blossom is present in Southern states. The plant leaves are tapered, 8 to 15 inches long, with a dark green color on top and lighter on the underside, alternately present on the stem.

They are hairless and broadly oval to egg-shaped with smooth and slightly wavy margins. The taproot is almost 12 inches long and 4 inches wide. The stem is flexible and rigid but not too strong. It is branched multiple times without a central stem. Moreover, the stalk is herbaceous, smooth, succulent, and reddish.

It does not require specific conditions for growth. It grows aggressively through seeds in well-drained soils with average or medium moisture.

The plant progresses the best when given adequate light and shade. This plant prefers full sun (6 hours daily) and partial shade (4 hours daily) and tolerates moderate drought. Despite doing well anywhere, it is best grown in zones 4 to 8.

Pokeberry Plant Produces Dense Purple Blackberries 

The plant produces dense purple blackberries around 2.5 inches in diameter in late summer to fall. Each berry has 6 to 12 seeds and hangs in clusters on the stem.

The fruit is not edible, yet you can consume young leaves and stems when boiled and adequately cooked. They are also a good source of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.

The shoots of these plants are harvested to be used for culinary purposes when they are 6 inches in height. The fruits are essential nutrients for mourning doves, mockingbirds, and northern cardinals. Young leaves are also mixed with other vegetables to enhance flavor.

Other regional names for this plant include Poke salad, Poke swallet, or Poke. It is cultivated and used widely in the Southeast as an alternative for Asparagus and Spinach.

The red color of berries is used as a food dye in the manufacturing of candies and wine and color paper and cloth. While the plant was initially misunderstood with no such uses known, you can plant this low-maintenance shrub for enhanced beauty. The white flowers and blackberries add to the aesthetic significance of the plant.

Pokeberry Plant is for sale online at Tn Nursery