Pokeweed, Phytolacca americana

A fast-growing, dramatic native perennial known for its spring shoots, deep red stems, white summer flowers, and dark purple berries, providing high-value food for wildlife. (Also known as Pokeberry, Poke Salad, or Inkberry).

Phytolacca americana is found across the entire Southeast and most of the Eastern U.S., occupying disturbed sites, thickets, and woodlands.

Phytolacca americana is a high-value plant for late-season wildlife. The plant produces long, drooping clusters of glossy, deep purple to black berries from late summer into winter. These high-fat, high-carbohydrate fruits are a critical food source for dozens of bird species, including Robins, Mockingbirds, Cedar Waxwings, Bluebirds, and Thrushes, aiding them in their preparation for migration. The small, green-to-white flowers bloom throughout the summer, attracting a variety of bees, flies, and wasps, and providing a nectar and pollen source.

Due to its toxic nature, Pokeweed is largely avoided by most browsing mammals, including deer and rabbits. Toxicity Warning: all parts of the plants are toxic to humans and some wildlife if ingested, particularly the root, mature stems, and mature berries. Although birds consume the berries without ill effect, the seeds pass through their digestive tract intact.  Native bees nest in the dead, hollow stems, so gardeners are encouraged to cut back dead stems to 12 to 24 inches and allow them to remain standing until they disintegrate on their own.

Historically, it was used to make the Southern dish, "Poke Sallet". The young spring leaves and shoots (before the red coloring appears) were rendered safe by multiple boiling and rinsing cycles to remove toxins (saponins, oxalates, and phytolaccine) that are present in all parts of the plant. This is not recommended due to the extreme danger of improper preparation.

Nevertheless, poke sallet was an important food source, particularly in the rural American South and Appalachia, where it served as a survival food during times of scarcity due to its abundance and nutritional value. It was a cheap and readily available spring green that provided essential vitamins and minerals, helping to supplement diets of salt pork and beans. While its importance as a staple has diminished with increased prosperity, it remains a significant part of the region's culinary heritage. The Allen Canning Company, one of the major producers, ran its final batch of canned poke sallet in 2000. The deep purple juice from the berries was historically used as an ink or dye (hence the name Inkberry).

Conditions

Pokeweed seeds have double dormancy (a hard seed coat and embryo dormancy), which is best broken by a warm-cold stratification cycle. Use winter sowing or the following. 

Mix the seeds with moist sand or peat moss and place in a sealed bag at room temperature for 30 days. Keep the media consistently moist.

After the warm period, move the sealed bag into the refrigerator for 60 to 90 days.

Sow seeds about 1/4 inch deep in pots or trays filled with a sterile, moist seed-starting mix. Place in a warm, bright location. Germination can be slow and sporadic, taking several weeks after the cold period ends.