5 pack x American Pokeweed Seeds for Planting 100 seeds
PWWWMJCC - NEW
Regular price $5.50American Pokeweed Seeds – Phytolacca americana (Pokeberry, Inkberry, Poke Salad Plant)
Grow a bold and historically significant native plant with American Pokeweed seeds (Phytolacca americana), also known as Pokeberry, Inkberry, or Poke Salad Plant. This tall perennial herb is easily recognized by its bright red-purple stems, large leaves, and clusters of deep purple berries, which were once used as natural dye and folk remedies.
While beautiful and useful in controlled settings, Pokeweed is toxic if not prepared properly, and its berries and roots should never be consumed raw. That said, it’s a valuable wildlife plant, supporting birds, pollinators, and native biodiversity.
⚠️ Important Note:
-
All parts of the plant are toxic if ingested raw, especially the roots, mature leaves, and seeds.
-
Young shoots have been traditionally eaten in the U.S. South as “poke salad” — only after multiple boils and discarding the water each time.
-
DO NOT consume without proper knowledge and preparation.
🌱 How to Plant American Pokeweed Seeds:
-
Cold Stratification Required:
-
Mix seeds with moist sand or paper towel and refrigerate for 60–90 days to mimic winter dormancy.
-
-
When to Plant:
-
Sow outdoors in early spring after stratification, or in fall for natural cold treatment.
-
-
Sowing Depth:
-
Sow seeds 1/4 inch deep in moist, well-drained soil.
-
-
Germination:
-
Germinates in 2–6 weeks once soil warms.
-
-
Sunlight:
-
Prefers full sun to partial shade.
-
-
Soil:
-
Tolerates a wide range of soils, especially rich or disturbed soils.
-
-
Growth Habit:
-
Perennial herbaceous plant growing 4–10 feet tall with woody stems and thick taproots.
-
🌿 Uses:
-
Wildlife habitat – birds (especially mockingbirds and catbirds) love the berries
-
Natural dye – berries produce deep red-purple ink and fabric dye
-
Cultural plant – used in traditional Appalachian and Native herbalism
Tall, dramatic, and ecologically important, American Pokeweed is a native plant best grown for wildlife, dye production, and educational gardens — not for casual consumption.
Can you grow pokeweed from seed?
Pokeweed may be grown from seeds in the following way. Gather about a pint of the purple berries, crush them, cover with water, and let ferment for a few days.
Should I get rid of American pokeweed?
If pokeweed grows in your landscape, take steps to remove it. Look for new plants coming in with bird droppings. Pokeweed is currently sold by nurseries and online. Don't buy this invasive species or plant it in your landscape.
Are pokeweed seeds poisonous?
All parts of the pokeweed plant are poisonous, especially roots and seeds, but its toxicity is generally considered to be low. Pokeweed can reach up to 10 feet tall and has distinctly red stems and berries that change from green to dark purple when ripe.
What did the Native Americans use pokeweed for?
A root wash or ointment was used for treating eczema, fevers, fungal infections, ringworms, scabies, sprains, and swellings. The berries also had medicinal uses. The Native Americans made a tea made from the berries and used it for treating arthritis, rheumatism, and dysentery.
What happens if I touched pokeweed?
Contact with pokeweed leaves, roots, or berries can cause skin rash. Swallowing any part of the fresh pokeweed plant can cause severe toxicity and even death. Call 911 or seek emergency care if you experience any serious symptoms from pokeweed exposure.
How to propagate American pokeweed?
Stem Cuttings: Cloning Your Pokeweed
Select a vibrant, healthy stem—new growth is your gold mine here. With disinfected shears, make a clean cut just below a node; that's your future root's launch pad. Dip the cut end into rooting hormone to turbocharge root development.
Select a vibrant, healthy stem—new growth is your gold mine here. With disinfected shears, make a clean cut just below a node; that's your future root's launch pad. Dip the cut end into rooting hormone to turbocharge root development.
What does pokeweed cure?
Despite serious safety concerns, people use pokeweed for achy muscles and joints (rheumatism), swelling of the nose, throat, and chest, swollen and tender breasts (mastitis), skin infections, and many other conditions, but there is no good scientific evidence to support these uses.
POKEWEED - Uses, Side Effects, and More - WebMD
Do I want pokeweed in my yard?
In parts of your property that are more unkept, you may want to leave pokeweed for wildlife. But anywhere kids and pets may encounter it, or where it's unwanted, manually remove the plants early in the season, before they flower and go to seed.
How does vinegar get rid of pokeweed?
"Organic herbicides such as vinegar, oils from clove, cinnamon, lemongrass, etc, as well as other organic types will not provide effective control of pokeweed since they only 'burn' the foliage and do not translocate (travel) into the roots system,” says Lingenfelter.
What animal eats pokeweed?
Never mind that pokeweed is a natural wildlife feeder, nourishing everyone from robins to bluebirds, squirrels to foxes, leopard moths to hummingbirds, opossums to raccoons. Never mind that it's a top plant for migratory birds along the Eastern corridor.
What plants are mistaken for pokeweed?
Are There Any Look-alikes? Sort of. Pokeweed's tall, upright stems, leaf shape, and tendency to fill an area are reminiscent of knotweed. The pink color and smooth, not segmented, stems help distinguish pokeweed, with longer leaves and the drooping clusters of flowers and berries.
What is the best pokeweed killer?
While several herbicides work well against pokeweed, our top recommendation for control is 2,4-D because of its selective and systemic means of control and ease of use. Calculate the square footage of the treatment area to determine how much 2,4-D Amine you will need.
Should I remove American pokeweed?
You should manually remove young plants with softwood stems, but larger mature plants have harder trunks that can be difficult to remove. In some cases, herbicides are necessary to thoroughly kill the plant underground if it's mature. Pokeweed is deceptively tenacious because of its herbaceous nature.
Is elderberry the same as pokeberry?
Pokeberries are about the size of peas with a dent in each berry. Elderberries are about the size of a BB. Elderberry, Black Elder or Europe- an Elder, Sambucus nigra, is a species of flowering plants in the Adoxaceae family. Elderberry leaves have a jagged or sawtooth leaf.
Is pokeweed bad for dogs?
🚫 What Makes American Pokeweed a No-No for Fido
Pokeweed packs a toxic punch with saponins, alkaloids, and phytolaccatoxin. These substances are no joke; they can wreak havoc on your dog's system. Saponins mess with cell membranes, while alkaloids can cause neurological issues.
Pokeweed packs a toxic punch with saponins, alkaloids, and phytolaccatoxin. These substances are no joke; they can wreak havoc on your dog's system. Saponins mess with cell membranes, while alkaloids can cause neurological issues.
Do birds eat pokeweed berries?
The birds that you are most apt to see dining on pokeberries are year-round residents such as northern mockingbirds, brown thrashers, eastern bluebirds, American crows, cardinals, starlings and red-bellied woodpeckers.
Is any part of pokeweed edible?
Small amounts are in the fruit. Cooked berries and leaves (cooked twice in separate water) can technically be eaten. However, this is never recommended because there is no guarantee that they are safe. The roots should never be eaten.
What are the poisonous berries that look like grapes?
Pokeweed Berries (Phytolacca americana)
These purple berries resemble grapes, but the roots, leaves, stem, and fruit contain toxic substances. As it matures, this plant appears to become more poisonous, and therefore consuming the berries is extremely dangerous.
These purple berries resemble grapes, but the roots, leaves, stem, and fruit contain toxic substances. As it matures, this plant appears to become more poisonous, and therefore consuming the berries is extremely dangerous.
Is pokeweed the same as nightshade?
Other names for common pokeweed include: poke berry, pigeon berry, inkberry coakun, pocan bush, scoke, poke salad, and American nightshade.
Is pokeweed good to have in your garden?
While the berries and other parts of the plant can be eaten by birds and some wildlife, the plant is toxic to people, pets, and livestock. This plant can be incorporated easily into wildlife or cottage gardens that have a more relaxed, inviting style.
What is the nutritional value of pokeweed?
A 100g serving of pokeweed contains 20 calories and 3.1 grams of carbohydrates, 1.6 grams of sugars, 1.5 grams of dietary fiber, 0.4 grams of fat, 2.3 grams of protein, and is a rich source of vitamin A, vitamin B2, vitamin C, vitamin K, and manganese.
Do deer eat pokeweed?
Pokeweed — plant of many names and wildlife benefits
Deer eat the leaves as a preferred late summer forage, which can have as much as 32% digestible protein. The dark purple berries that appear in late summer are favorites among many songbirds, including mockingbirds, Northern cardinals, and mourning doves.
Deer eat the leaves as a preferred late summer forage, which can have as much as 32% digestible protein. The dark purple berries that appear in late summer are favorites among many songbirds, including mockingbirds, Northern cardinals, and mourning doves.
Does pokeweed grow back every year?
Pokeweed is in the Phytolaccaceae. This weed can grow to 10 feet tall. It dies back in winter then reemerges from the ground in spring, growing from a fat fleshy storage root. The leaves are large, 3 inches to a foot long and 1 to 5 inches wide, often with reddish stalks and lower veins.
What are some interesting facts about pokeweed?
Pokeweed has an extensive history for being used as a food, medicine, herb, dye for clothing, ink for writing, colorant for wines, and much more. Although used for food, extreme caution should be used, as the entire plant is poisonous causing a variety of symptoms, including death in rare cases.
What kills pokeweed naturally?
Horticultural vinegar will obliterate any pokeweed plants.
Wait 24 hours and then physically remove the dead plant matter.
Wait 24 hours and then physically remove the dead plant matter.
Do squirrels eat pokeweed?
Other animals eat pokeweed too: mice, squirrels, raccoons, even bears, and the flowers are pollinated by tiny native wasps and bees.
What is the difference between pokeweed and elderberry?
On the one hand, Pokeweeds have red stems, smooth leaves, and flowers with no petals and grow in long, cob-like clusters. Elderberries grow in round clusters and have smaller fruits, jagged leaves, and flowers with petals. Another telling difference is the growth condition of these two herbs.
Can I touch pokeweed?
While some people eat pokeweed after boiling it multiple times, or use it as an herbal remedy, this is not recommended due to the plant's toxicity. All parts of the plant are poisonous to both humans and animals, but especially the root. The plant is poisonous both to eat and to touch.
Does pokeweed have any benefits?
At doses of 1 g, dried pokeweed root is emetic and purgative. At lower doses of 60 to 100 mg/day, the root and berries have been used to treat rheumatism and for immune stimulation; however, there are no clinical trials that support these uses or doses.
Do blue jays eat pokeweed?
Cardinals, mockingbirds, blue jays, robins, catbirds, bluebirds, mourning doves, and over 20 other species of native birds love Pokeberries. Squirrels, chipmunks, and other small mammals do, too. As the berries ripen, the stems change color! Pokeweed is interesting to watch, and it will definitely attract songbirds.
What happens if a dog touches pokeweed?
Toxicity to pets
Excessive salivation, vomiting, inappetance/refusal of food, diarrhea, possible tremors, and a drop in blood pressure may occur.
Excessive salivation, vomiting, inappetance/refusal of food, diarrhea, possible tremors, and a drop in blood pressure may occur.
Should I pull up pokeweed?
Pulling or hand digging is practical for seedlings or individual plants of pokeweed. Large taproots should be cut as far as possible below the crown. Dig out established plants. Remove as much of the root as possible using a pick or shovel.
What is the real name for pokeweed?
Phytolacca americana L.
American Pokeweed (Phytolacca americana L.) American pokeweed is a member of the Phytolaccaceae, the Pokeweed family. Members of the family are found around the world in tropical and subtropical distribution with a few species that occur in temperate areas. About 16 genera and 100 species are recognized in the family.
Do deer like to eat pokeweed?
But no matter what it is called where you live, pokeweed is an extremely valuable soft mast and late-summer forage component for white-tailed deer throughout the eastern United States and Canada.
How do I permanently get rid of pokeweed?
To manually remove common pokeweed, dig deeply and get out the entire taproot. Pulling is not successful as it leaves behind roots that will regenerate. If you do nothing else, remove the fruits from the plant before they spread. The plant can produce up to 48,000 seeds, which remain viable in soil for 40 years.
What does pokeweed attract?
The wide range of animals who dine on the berries of the remarkable pokeweed includes robins, mockingbirds, mourning doves, catbirds, bluebirds, cardinals, pileated woodpeckers, brown thrashers, cedar waxwings, foxes, squirrels, opossums and raccoons.
Why is pokeweed bad?
The poisonous principles are oxalic acid and a saponin called phytolaccotoxin. In addition, alkaloids may also be present. The root of the plant is the most toxic portion, although all of the other parts of the plant contain smaller amounts of the toxic principles.
Do rabbits eat pokeweed?
Pokeweed is moderately deer and rabbit resistant. Despite its moderately attractive ornamental features, pokeweed is generally considered a weed in most settings. However, leaving a few for the birds is a good idea.
Can humans eat pokeberry?
All parts of the pokeweed plant, especially the root, are poisonous. Severe poisoning has been reported from drinking tea brewed from pokeweed root and pokeweed leaves. Poisoning also has resulted from drinking pokeberry wine and eating pokeberry pancakes. Eating just 10 berries can be toxic to an adult.
What can be mistaken for pokeweed?
Invasive knotweeds (Fallopia spp.) are commonly confused with the native look-alike, pokeweed (Phytolacca americana).