Phytolacca Americana, or Pokeweed, is a herbaceous plant up to 2.5 meters tall, and native to North America. The plant is very toxic to mammals, especially the berries. Due to the risk from the toxins, and its density of growth, it is considered a pest.
More succinctly, they are magic berries that will make you not a mammal.
I used to see this all the time up in Virginia and never had any idea what to call it. My shock at seeing anything with a hot pink stem for the first time
The color is associated with the toxin if it’s not actually the toxin itself. You can eat (after boiling and draining the water repeatedly) the leaves of a young plant before the stems start turning colors. They used to eat them during the Great Depression because they grow so easy.
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