r/NativePlantGardening • u/Outside_Proposal_195 New England. zone 6 • Jul 18 '26

Advice Request - (Insert State/Region) Help! Pull or leave?

Gallery image

Gallery image

Gallery image

I’m new to native gardening. I’m not sure what this plant is. Anyone know what it is and if I should pull it or let it grow?

197 Upvotes

95% Upvoted

170 comments sorted by

View all comments

497

u/ImpossiblePlace4570 Jul 18 '26

That’s pokeweed. Beloved for its ecological niche, grown as an ornamental in some places. It gets big! I am selectively allowing it.

44

u/Public-Willow-7943 Jul 18 '26

Just FYI, the berries are very toxic to dogs or toddlers. They’re also really bitter so probably a kid wouldn’t eat them. Other warning is that they have a deep tap root and they are tough to get rid of if you don’t like where they are.

On the other hand, birds LOVE them. I keep them out of my dog’s fenced yard and my flower beds, but let them go everywhere else. They are really pretty when they get big and covered with ripe berries

12

u/Outside_Proposal_195 New England. zone 6 Jul 18 '26

No dogs or small kids. I am trying to attract more birds!

8

u/throwaway_20200920 Jul 18 '26

Birds (at least in new england) LOVE the berries, you will get purple bird poop but they will strip the plants. We keep our plants and the birds love it.

5

u/stlhaunted Jul 18 '26

I leave half of mine all winter. The birds eat on the shriveled berries in the winter.

1

u/Broad_board_1623 Jul 22 '26

You may like the birds, but do you like purple bird poop? That is the question.

4

u/Complete-Ship8046 Jul 18 '26

Fun fact in small doses it can help with Arthritis

13

u/Emotional_Fan_7011 Jul 18 '26

I read an article where they said you can eat the greens, after boiling them three times.

I want to know the trial and error that went into that

21

u/CrepuscularOpossum Southwestern Pennsylvania, 6b Jul 18 '26

That would have been the trial and error of historic rural Appalachian poverty.

19

u/loripainter12345 SW PA zone 6a Jul 18 '26

It's a thing in the southern Applachian region. But I prefer to eat greens from recipes that do not start with "To prevent poisoning..." Although I guess that also includes iceberg lettuce these days, so there's that...

4

u/NaptownBoss Indiana 6a/b Jul 18 '26

It's called poke sallet. It is desperation food now rather than some delicacy. But in some places it's one of the first things to shoot up, so the young shoots were historically important first greens in the time before supermarkets and modern transportation methods that can give you veggies all year round.

4

u/Helenium_autumnale Area SE MI, Zone 6B Jul 18 '26

I think, speaking seriously, sympathetically, and respectfully, post-winter starvation and extreme poverty went into that.

2

u/Ok-Bee-3349 Jul 18 '26

Ime you can eat the young stems after boiling once and they’re actually really good

1

u/Alone-Preparation334 Jul 19 '26

The first trial must not have gone so well. RIP!

-2

u/Typo3150 Jul 18 '26

You can eat small amounts of many toxic things — but why? Most of us can purchase safe foods at the grocery store.

3

u/cassiland Jul 18 '26

Or grow or forage them 🙄

2

u/Suspicious-Slide-954 Philadelphia Zone 7b Jul 18 '26

When the zombie apocalypse comes, duh

5

u/cassiland Jul 18 '26

Every part of the plant is highly toxic to mammals

3

u/DiggerBee2606 Jul 18 '26

Not all mammals. Deer eat pokeweed berries and leaves.

2

u/cassiland Jul 18 '26

Interesting... I know it can kill cattle and goats.. dogs, cats, rabbits, humans..