I recently found blackberries near me and have eaten them – did not die. And then I found this plant a lil further away, my sister did say it looked like blueberries but I was suspicious…what is it?

by HungryChickenBaby

12 Comments

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  2. IloveVrgaming

    Pokeweed, very toxic do not eat. A few can kill someone

  3. Dreamnghrt

    Definitely Pokeweed. Please don’t eat the berries! It’s toxic!

  4. HungryChickenBaby

    It’s unfortunate…they’re so pretty!

  5. A_Lountvink

    Most likely American pokeweed (Phytolacca americana), which is native to eastern North America where it’s very valuable for wildlife.

    It’s a host plant for several species of moths (including the giant leopard moth), and the berries are liked by birds. The flowers attract a wide variety of pollinators, and the hollow stems dry out during the cold months to become good shelter for overwintering insects like bees. The pink/magenta color of the stems has earned it some limited use as an ornamental.

    It should be noted that it’s poisonous to mammals if eaten raw, and the sap is a skin irritant. Some folks can also get contact dermatitis from touching it with bare skin, but it’s not a common reaction. It’s aggressive in disturbed areas since those are the conditions that it’s adapted to, and it’s invasive outside of its native range in places like the West Coast and Europe.

    [Pokeweed (Phytolacca americana)](https://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/weeds/plants/pokeweed.htm)

  6. Low-Act8667

    Pokeweed… it’s almost always pokeweed

  7. Deltadoc333

    I actually spent some time teaching my daughter about pokeweed this weekend. It is such a pretty plant with tempting berries that I wanted to make sure she knew how to recognize it and how dangerous it was.

  8. Bubbly_Power_6210

    poke-poisonous to dogs and humans-DO NOT EAT.

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