Could someone identify this plant?

Question

My daughter is old enough now to be able to access this plant in the garden and since its berries look just like blueberries, I just chopped the whole thing up because I don't know what it is. I'm in the Pacific Northwest. I could add that it has a thick stalk around 2" (4 stalks worth shown in the 2nd photo) and it comes up every year.

unidentified plant

Hi and welcome to the site! Can you check out this question and see if it looks like your plant? Thanks! — Sue Saddest Farewell TGO GL, Aug 13 '15 at 02:24
Yes sue, that looks like it's probably it. It was much clearer from the pokeweed page on Wikipedia. Thanks. — Fo., Aug 13 '15 at 02:40
My pleasure! I see you've been around the network, and hope you come back here with more gardening questions, and answers! — Sue Saddest Farewell TGO GL, Aug 13 '15 at 02:44
Pokeberry seems to be becoming more common at the northen end of it's range. http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=pham4 never used to see them round here. Now they're everywhere. — Wayfaring Stranger, Aug 13 '15 at 13:47

score 1 · Answer 1 · answered Aug 13 '15 at 15:52

1

Pokeberry is poisonous. The new leaves are gathered sometimes for salads, but I wouldn't trust it growing near children. As the leaves mature they become toxic. The berries can make you sick,too.

answered Aug 13 '15 at 15:52

It was in the yard waste bin before I even posted the question (as mentioned). For anyone who's interested, the Wikipedia page has a lot of useful info https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytolacca_americana – Fo. Aug 13 '15 at 15:59

Could someone identify this plant?

1 Answers1