Pokeweed
In Southern and Appalachian speech, "pokeweed" is a wild plant known for its young leaves (cooked into poke salad) and its dark purple berries, sometimes used for ink. Though it grows across much of North America, it holds special cultural meaning in the South.
synonyms: Phytolacca americana, wild greens, poke greens
Hillbilly Dude Says...
'Pokeweed' is everwhere down here, but I always tell the young'uns that ol' poke’ll mess you up if you don’t fix it right. Hillbilly Dude Says...
'Pokeweed' is everwhere down here, but I always tell the young'uns that ol' poke’ll mess you up if you don’t fix it right. Pronunciation
[POHK-weed] /ˈpoʊkˌwiːd/
Meaning & Usage
- A tall, wild plant with edible young leaves and poisonous parts (noun)
Hazel:
What’s that big purple-stemmed weed?
What’s that big purple-stemmed weed?
Earl:
That’s pokeweed. Folks make poke salad out of it.
That’s pokeweed. Folks make poke salad out of it.variations: poke, pokeberry, poke plant
★ Every part of pokeweed is poisonous if eaten raw. The young leaves can be made safe by boiling and draining several times - the base of the famous dish "poke salad." ★
Origin and Etymology
Native to eastern North America, pokeweed (*Phytolacca americana*) grows from New England through the Midwest and especially throughout the South. While the plant is widespread, it became a distinct part of Southern and Appalachian foodways, folk medicine, and culture. Its berries were even used as makeshift ink for schoolwork and letters.
Usage Notes
- Outside the South, most people just see pokeweed as a nuisance plant or toxic weed.
- In Appalachia and the rural South, it’s tied to poke salad (also called poke sallet), a springtime food.
- Pokeberries have been used in folk remedies, though modern medicine warns they’re poisonous.
- Also called pokeberry, poke plant, or just poke.