On this overcast afternoon I've been scouting for responses to today's showers, and I found a tiny volunteer pokeweed about 12 inches tall in my south-facing side yard, already sporting one brave little white raceme. In the tangle of growth at the southeast corner, I spotted its likely parent, shading with its large leaves on their red stems little curving bows of red and purple berries.
Poke has been very hardy through our summer's drought this year, growing luxuriantly near
every neglected roadside fence. Its early spring shoots are edible greens, much prized by Tennessee pioneers and enjoyed even
today by their descendants who have kept to
the old ways.
Poke (Phytolacca americana) is native to the Southeastern United States and is also known as pokeberry, poke salad, and poke sallet.
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