Some people call it a weed. In fact, some would say that the name of the plant is pokeweed, not pokeberry. I’m on a one-man mission to change that because if a plant is called a weed, everyone assumes that it’s no good. That’s not true at all of pokeberry.
You’ve seen it growing in vacant lots, next to houses, poking out of sidewalks, or just about anywhere. It’s a fast growing, succulent (wet-stemmed) perennial that might get to be ten feet high under the right conditions.
What’s so great about pokeberry? Well, it’s pretty to look at, for one thing. Even better than that, it’s a fine native wildflower with excellent wildlife value. The leaves are food to all kinds of insects. The flowers give good food to pollinators. But most of all, pokeberry produces an amazing amount of berries, and the fruit is very popular with birds.
We’ve got four or so pokeberry plants growing in various spots in our yard. They seem to do about as well in deep shade as they do in the sun. And, in case you’re wondering, we did not actually plant any of them ourselves. They just popped up on their own, and they were welcome guests.
By late summer, the berries have turned a deep, dark purple, and you’ll often see mockingbirds, catbirds, or robins dangling on the weed, feasting on berries.