American Pokeweed: Deadly and Delicious

"What is that?"

"I just pulled a bunch of that stuff out of my yard, what is it?" 

A friend and fellow bird nerd was over at my house last weekend and asked me about this massive plant growing out of my flower bed. She told me that she had done some gardening to try to make room for plants that would benefit her backyard grey catbird pair. I laughed and gestured toward the plant; "this is what your catbirds eat!" American pokeweed is often vilified for its toxicity and large size, but it is of great value to wildlife, especially birds. 

This is like fugu in a can. Would you trust it
was prepared properly?

Talk to most anyone who was listening to music in the 70s and the first thing they'll talk about when you mention pokeweed is "that poke salad song." The song "Poke Salad Annie" was released in 1969 and was thereafter covered by a host of artists, including Elvis himself. The song talks about a southern dish called "poke salad" in which the leaves of pokeweed is eaten. What the song doesn't mention is that if you don't cook the leaves right, they could kill you. If you eat the stem, it could kill you. If you eat the berries, they could kill you. And if you eat the root, that's right, it'll give your hair vibrant, full, body. Of course it doesn't give your hair vibrant, full, body! It can kill you even more! Pokeweed is full of a host of different toxins that most often cause severe vomiting and diarrhea, but can cause death due to paralysis of the respiratory organs. These toxins are present throughout the plant, but are most concentrated in the root and seeds.  

If you are unfamiliar with pokeweed, at this point you may be thinking, "ok, so don't eat it, what's the big deal?" Well, the problem comes when pokeweed matures in late summer and goes from being a nondescript, albeit large (up to 10' tall!), plant to this stunning beauty:

Those magenta stems and dark purple berries draw a lot of attention, especially from children. When children eat the berries, they ingest those toxic seeds, and there are cases in just a few berries were enough to cause the death of infants. Also, according to the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, the toxins in pokeweed are capable of being absorbed through the skin, so even contact with the plant may pose some risk, something I never knew about until doing research for this blog.

 Making natural dyes from pokeweed may give you very colorful results, but the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center advises that you wear gloves just to be safe. 

So although I am not a fan of removing native plants, if you live in a household with small children, you may want to cut this plant back before it produces its summer berries. 

Why not get rid of pokeweed altogether? It dominates the area where it grows with its large leaves and tall, branching stems, and has the ability to sicken if not kill both humans and livestock. 

I love pokeweed because birds love pokeweed! Bluebirds, American robins, grey catbirds, northern mockingbirds, bobwhite quail, northern cardinals, and cedar waxings all love poke berries. I always know when my neigborhood birds have been eating my poke berries because I find purple bird poop in my backyard. Other animals like pokeweed too, including foxes, opossums, raccoons, white-footed mice, and the giant leopard moth. In my own backyard, I find a tiny cricket on my pokeweed at night that I don't see anywhere else in my yard. And remember, insects are bird food too!

If keeping pokeweed around as a species for birds isn't a good enough reason for you, consider this: research using a protein found in pokeweed has been found to reduce HIV in mice, and is being studied as a treatment for T-cell leukemia, lymphoma, hepatitis-C, and the common cold, and Hodgkin disease. This pesky poisonous plant just may help to save lives someday.

My friend may have taken out the pokeweed in her backyard this year, but she doesn't have to worry. If she wants it back for her catbirds next year, the plant will regenerate next spring from its large (and very toxic) root. Not to mention pokeweed seeds can remain viable in the ground for over 40 years! Pokeweed may be toxic if eaten, but its value to wildlife and human medicine makes it worth keeping around for far more than 40 years. 

Attracting Wildlife with Native Plants

(originally posted April 16, 2011)

Last week, I highlighted the benefits of attracting insects to your yard. Creatures regarded by humans as pests are magnets for insectivores, including birds, ladybugs, amphibians, and chipmunks. This week, I’d like to feature how to attract appetizing arthropods.

Increasing the diversity of insects in your backyard all begins with the plants you feature. While pansies, petunias, geraniums, and other colorful annuals are favorites of gardeners, it’s the plants native to your area that are the favorites of insects. Our local insects have evolved in the presence of native plants and have come to depend on them as a source of food, whether it be in the form of leaves, nectar, or pollen. For example, while we may think of feeding squirrels when it comes to oak trees, the 80 species of oaks in North America support a whopping 534 species of butterflies and moths alone. Add this to the number of bird, mammal, reptile, and amphibian species that in turn eat caterpillars, and one oak tree supports a staggering array of wildlife.

If you’re worried that you will have to sacrifice the beauty of your landscaping in order to appease wildlife, fear not. Purple coneflowers, radiant red bee balms, sunny goldenrods, and blue irises are among a long list of colorful native plants that can be grown throughout the United States. More regional plants offer even more landscaping opportunities. There’s nothing quite like a tall waving patch of big bluestem in North Dakota...

the spiky inflorescences of goatsbeard in Pennsylvania...

or what I call the “Dr. Seuss flower,” the maypop of Florida. 

A trip to your local bookstore, online research (and your friendly Nature Geek!) will help you determine what plants are native to your area.

In addition to supporting insects and their associated wildlife, going native will benefit you as well. Once these plants have become established in your yard (which may take a year or so) they will require no watering, fertilizing, or even pesticides (remember, your yard will attract insect eaters!), saving you both time and money. I planted my native garden last year and for my patience through a difficult drought, I have been rewarded this spring with native perennials that have rebounded and doubled their size. So as you are preparing your garden beds this spring, perhaps add a native or two here and there just for starters. Then sit back, relax, and enjoy your new backyard habitat.