The pokeweed is demonized as a poisonous perennial that spreads invasively in the garden with extensive roots and masses of seeds. For hobby gardeners close to nature, a magnificent Phytolacca with picturesque flower candles and dark red berries also has its good sides. Should you fight pokeweed or use it? Read here how you can fight invasive pokeweed naturally, use it competently against snails and prepare edible parts of the plant in a digestible way.
Fight or use pokeweed?
Should you fight or use the poisonous pokeweed? Pokeweed can of course be controlled by digging up roots, weeding young plants, removing wilted flowers and cutting off fruit heads in a timely manner. Ground pokeweed seeds serve as a snail repellent and boiled leaves can be prepared as a vegetable.
Profile
- Scientific name: Phytolacca
- Growth type: Perennial
- Root: taproot
- Toxicity: poisonous+
- Growth: invasive
- Growth height: 100 – 300 cm
- Flower shape: candle-shaped cluster
- Flowering period: June to September
- Fruit: Berry
- Location: sunny to partially shaded
- Winter hardiness: hardy down to -23.4° C
- Use: natural garden
Root
The pokeweed conquers its territory with a fleshy, beet-like, multi-headed root down to a depth of 50 centimeters. Lateral roots up to 200 centimeters long branch off from this main root. From this root system, the perennial draws its strength to grow as tall as a man. The pokeweed is therefore one of the largest perennials and is on a par with the poisonous giant hogweed. After the first frost, a phytolacca retreats into its rootstock while the above-ground parts of the plant die.
Toxicity
The pokeweed is full of various toxins. The effect of toxic saponins is severe irritation of the mucous membranes. Toxic lectins cause massive stomach and intestinal problems as well as circulatory fluctuations and even respiratory arrest. The most poisonous are roots and seeds. This is followed by unripe, still green berries as well as shoots and shoots. The lowest proportion of toxins is contained in young leaves and fully ripe berries. Cooked leaves and ripe berries of a Phytolacca acinosa are edible for adults.
Of the two most common pokeweed species in Central Europe, the American pokeweed (Phytolacca americana) is much more poisonous than the Asian pokeweed (Phytolacca acinosa), also known as the edible pokeweed. For laypeople, both Phytolacca look very similar. The only distinguishing feature are the inflorescences. The highly poisonous American pokeweed can be recognized by its arching, overhanging flower candles in summer and sloping fruit clusters in autumn. The more harmless Asian pokeweed, on the other hand, boasts tightly upright flowers and fruit clusters.
Video: Asian pokeweed seen up close
Growth
With its invasive tendency to spread, the pokeweed quickly causes disillusionment in the garden. Two merciless propagation strategies turn the introduced plant into a feared neophyte. A single pokeweed produces up to 32,000 seeds. Birds, wind and weather ensure that the seeds are distributed across the board. Furthermore, the pokeweed releases toxins through its roots that slow down or completely stop the growth of neighboring plants. Where the neophyte goes wild, dense dominant stands emerge within a short period of time, displacing native wild perennials.
Usage
Natural hobby gardeners appreciate the pokeweed as a magnificent perennial that transforms inhospitable locations into enchanted places. Despite all the negative characteristics, the natural beauty scores with various possible uses. The following table gives an overview of how a Phytolacca can be useful in a natural garden:
| ornamental plant | Crops |
|---|---|
| Natural Garden | Fighting snails |
| Cottage Garden | Spinach substitute |
| Bee Pasture | Dye |
| Food plant for birds | Homeopathic remedy |
An authentic wild perennial character makes the pokeweed a popular ornamental plant in natural and cottage gardens. The picturesque inflorescences are a pasture swarmed by bees. In fall and winter, nutritious berries fill growling bird bellies. Nature-loving hobby gardeners swear by pokeweed as an effective remedy against snails. Cooked leaves taste like spinach. The dark red pokeweeds have now become obsolete as a dye for wool, ink or wine. Its use as a homeopathic remedy has been criticized due to its unproven effect against sore throats, flu, scabies or rheumatism.
Fighting pokeweed - How to do it without chemicals
Hobby gardeners struggle with the unbridled growth of roots that spread in all directions. The green invasion is exacerbated by aggressive self-seeding throughout the garden. In the family garden, the poisonous pokeweed is an uninvited guest that has secretly smuggled itself in and tempts children into risky snacking with its dark red berries. These are important reasons to put a stop to unbridled growth. How to fight pokeweed using natural methods:
- Weeding seedlings and young plants like weeds
- Dig up or hook established pokeweed including roots
- Cut off wilted inflorescences before seeds form
- Cut off fruit heads with unripe or ripe berries
- Important: Wear gloves, long-sleeved clothing and safety glasses
Dispose of plant parts correctly
You can dispose of non-flowering, above-ground plant parts of a pokeweed in the compost. Please throw roots, flowers and fruit heads into the organic waste. The pokeweed owes its reputation as a neophyte to the fact that the perennial sprouts again from tiny root residues and seeds. Roots and seeds often survive the decomposition process in the compost heap undamaged. Hidden in the organic fertilizer, the pokeweed finds its way back into the bed.
Excursus
Snacking forbidden
All 35 pokeweed species are more or less poisonous. Freshly eaten berries cause vomiting, cramps and diarrhea. The torturous effect begins in small children after just one pokeweed. For he althy adults, 5-10 ripe berries of a pokeweed (Phytolacca acinosa) are edible. Consumption is strongly discouraged during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Using pokeweed against snails – instructions
With its poisonous seeds, the pokeweed acts as an effective combatant against snails. Saponins attack the pests' mucous membranes and decompose eggs laid in the soil. The following quick guide explains step by step how to use pokeweed against snails:
- Put on gloves and safety glasses
- Grind 4 tablespoons of seeds in a mortar
- Alternatively: crush 8 tablespoons of unripe or ripe berries
- Pour 1 liter of rainwater into a tub
- Stir in crushed seeds or berry puree
- Let it steep for 24-48 hours
- Apply liquid repeatedly in the bed with a watering can
- Important: Thoroughly clean the mortar, tub and watering can
- Caution: Do not use pokeweed against snails in the garden with ducks
Gentle alternatives replace aggressive pokeweed
In the animal-friendly hobby garden, no snail is sentenced to death by pokeweed. In fact, the toxic saponins cause a painful agony because the toxins only slowly attack the mucous membranes. Proven alternatives drive away the voracious pests forever. How to combat snails the gentle way:
- Protect endangered individual plants with snail collars
- Enclose the lettuce bed with a snail fence
- Tiger snails settle as natural predators of slugs
- Create travel barriers made of pine needles or grit
Pokeweed Recipes – Tips for Home Cooks
If the Asian pokeweed spreads exuberantly in the garden, experimental hobby gardeners make a virtue of necessity. Fans of simple home cooking see the green leaf explosion as a promising vegetable. Anyone who knows what they're doing can trick the toxins in the leaves. Let this pokeweed recipe inspire you for your own culinary variations:
Enjoy Asian pokeweed as a leafy vegetable
The young, undeveloped leaves are said to have a mild taste of spinach or asparagus. Only the foliage of a pokeweed, also known as Asian or Indian pokeweed (trademark: upright flowers and fruit heads), can be used as a recipe ingredient. The following recipe guarantees wholesomeness and an unusual culinary delight:
- Collect 1 kg of fresh pokeweed leaves and rinse thoroughly under running water
- Dice the onions and fry them in butter in a saucepan
- Add pokeweed leaves
- Pour water until the leaves are covered
- Bring to the boil and cook for 15 minutes, stirring repeatedly
- Drain the cooking water (contains the last remaining toxins)
- Fill pot with fresh water
- Cook on a low heat for another 20 minutes
- Drain again and simmer in fresh water for 20 minutes
- Season and taste at your own discretion
- Serve hot with boiled potatoes
Popular varieties
The pokeweed genus provides the hobby gardener with the following decorative varieties with specific location preferences:
- Phytolacca acinosa: Asian pokeweed thrives in sandy, dry soil in a sunny to partially shaded location. White candle flowers in summer. Dark red berries, edible in small quantities in autumn.
- Phytolacca esculenta: Synonym for Phytolacca acinosa.
- Phytolacca americana: American pokeweed for nutrient-rich, fresh, moist soil in a partially shaded location in mild winter regions. Whitish to pale pink flower clusters from July. Dark red, inedible, black-purple berry decoration from September.
- Phytolacca dioica: Argentine pokeweed, perennial, not hardy. Growth height 1.50 to 1.80. As a pot plant for the balcony or temperate winter garden.
FAQ
Is pokeweed poisonous to dogs?
Yes, all parts of the pokeweed are poisonous to dogs. A great danger comes from the roots because they contain the highest concentration of poison. The poisonous seeds in unripe or ripe berries should not be underestimated. If your four-legged friend nibbles on roots that have been dug up or swallows a few berries, he will suffer painful symptoms of poisoning. There is a risk of nausea, cramps, vomiting, circulatory collapse and even respiratory arrest.
What can you color with pokeweed juice?
Traditionally, dark red pokeweed juice was used to dye ink, wool, silk, leather, basketry and cosmetics. In earlier times, wine, liqueur and pastries were also colored with the deep red berry juice. Due to the associated risk of serious or fatal poisoning, pokeweeds have become obsolete as a dye. It is said that the adulteration of wine so angered the Sun King Louis XIV that he banned the coloring of red wine with pokeweed on pain of death.
Which location is suitable for a pokeweed?
The pokeweed shows its most beautiful side in a sunny to partially shaded location. The Asian pokeweed (Phytolacca acinosa) prefers a well-drained, sandy-dry soil in a rock garden or gravel bed. An American pokeweed (Phytolacca americana) thrives in nutrient-rich, fresh, moist soil. Ideally, plant a pokeweed with a root barrier so that the invasive tendency to spread does not cause you any problems. As a container plant, the cold-sensitive Argentine pokeweed gives the winter garden an exotic flair in a sunny to shady location with temperatures of at least 10° Celsius.
Are all parts of a pokeweed plant poisonous?
The entire pokeweed is potentially poisonous. Due to different poison concentrations, some parts of the plant are suitable for consumption in small quantities. Young leaves are primarily edible after cooking for at least 15 minutes. He althy adults can eat 5 to a maximum of 10 fully ripe fruits of the dark red berries of the Asian pokeweed. The pokeweed is generally poisonous to children and pets and is not edible under any circumstances.
Is the pokeweed hardy?
Yes, the pokeweed is a hardy, perennial. The degree of frost hardiness depends on the species in question. An Asian pokeweed (Phytolacca acinosa) is hardy down to -23° Celsius. The American pokeweed (Phytolacca americana), which thrives for several years in mild winter wine-growing regions, is more heat-loving. New on the market is the frost-sensitive Argentine pokeweed (Phytolacca dioica), which collapses at temperatures below 10° Celsius.
Where do wild pokeweeds grow?
The pokeweed was introduced as an ornamental plant at the beginning of the 17th century. Since then, the perennial has spread throughout Europe as a garden refugee. When left wild, the pokeweed thrives in forest clearings, on the edge of the forest, on ruderal areas, on the banks of water bodies, on the side of roads, in fields and landfills.
