Can I get some help identifying this plant?

[Jaxom]

http://www.thedailygreen.com/cm/thedailygreen/images/4I/black-chokeberry-fall-www-lg.jpg

Compared to all the other immages of the wild black chokeberry this doesn't look right. If I recall right, this is actually a poisionious plant! I have a Peterson's guide to edible and medicinal plants, but I've packed that away. I know exactilly where a huge plot of these are growing, just want to check with someone that's harvested these before I do so.

Thanks,

Jax

 

[dragonlaurel]

A 2nd photo that's not so close up might help. So we can get more idea of the scale. It looks familiar, but I'm not sure.

 

[reinbeau]

http://www.thedailygreen.com/cm/thedailygreen/images/4I/black-chokeberry-fall-www-lg.jpg

Compared to all the other immages of the wild black chokeberry this doesn't look right. If I recall right, this is actually a poisionious plant! I have a Peterson's guide to edible and medicinal plants, but I've packed that away. I know exactilly where a huge plot of these are growing, just want to check with someone that's harvested these before I do so.

Thanks,

Jax

It is a poisonous plant, although the shoots in the springtime are edible. It's Pokeweed, or Phytolacca americana. We called them gushberries and used to whip each other with them, splattering ourselves with grape-colored blotches (thankfully they wash right out of clothing).

 

[Jaxom]

dragonlaurel

That one picture is the only one that looked like that. The rest of the chokeberry plants didn't look anything like that and the berries on the other plants all looked identical to blueberries as they should. As Reinbeau pointed out this is a poisionious plant. For reference sake I wanted to clarify which one it was.

Ugh, I was out doing some weeding along fence line a few days ago. Only last night did I realized I just slaughterd a huge batch of lambs-quarter!!!!

 

[Icu4dzs]

http://www.thedailygreen.com/cm/thedailygreen/images/4I/black-chokeberry-fall-www-lg.jpg

Compared to all the other immages of the wild black chokeberry this doesn't look right. If I recall right, this is actually a poisionious plant! I have a Peterson's guide to edible and medicinal plants, but I've packed that away. I know exactilly where a huge plot of these are growing, just want to check with someone that's harvested these before I do so.

Thanks,

Jax

It is a poisonous plant, although the shoots in the springtime are edible. It's Pokeweed, or Phytolacca americana. We called them gushberries and used to whip each other with them, splattering ourselves with grape-colored blotches (thankfully they wash right out of clothing).

I completely concur with Reinbeau. This is young pokeweed. The berries are poisonous. The very young leaves are edible but there is a fine line between when they are too mature. Unlike the usual rule that blue berries are safe and red ones are poisonous, this particular berry is "verboten"!
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