What is this pretty volunteer?

I really kind of like this pretty, leafy "tree" - it is rather non-descript with large leaves, but then it starts flowering - lilac shaped flower clusters with tiny white flowers. No scent that I noticed and the flowers only last a couple of days, then they put on seed pods.

As long as this isn't poisonous to dogs, I'll probably just leave them growing where they are. At the moment, this large one (about 30" tall and very fast-growing) is providing shade for tomatoes and strawberries in a hay bale and another one has come up in a jumbled flower bed.

Anyone know what it is? :)
Thanks!
Elizabeth

Here's the flower spike:

Looks like pokeweed

I agree.

Poke Sallet Annie! greens for dinner!

No poke sallet for me - too much work to get the toxins out. ;)

But, thank you so much for the identification! :)

Now I'm not gonna get that song outta my head for a week..... heheeeee!

I love my poke weed. It is sooooo purdy!

I've left one of these plants growing that comes back every year. It is about 7 feet tall now. I love the appearance of the blooms and the fruit. Does anyone know if the birds will eat the fruit or is the plant only appealing to my eye.

Yes the birds love the berries.

I love the fall color but don't have one in my yard here.
C

I love these. They get better looking year after year. The older and larger the trunks/stems gets, the purple/magenta color deepens. I've seen lots of mockingbirds and cardinals eating from them. And much to my amusement the chickens think the berries are worth some acrobatic feats to harvest them :0)

Wow cocoa I would love to watch your chickens. Maybe you should post a short film on utube. lol I really love mine also. It has come back bigger every year. I am not really sure where the first one came from unless I brought home a seed from a RU and dropped it there. Otherwise a birdie planted it via his well you know.....I have had it about 4 years. There are more now and I don't mind at all.

zone 8b, heat zone 9, deep East, TX on Lake Sam Rayburn
Folks as a little girl in the late thirties/forties, I would squeeze the juice from Poke Berry mature fruit to make a food coloring for my mud pies. LOL
Yes, it is a beautiful bush. I have one in my landscape for sentimental reminders.
Thanks or you comments...stay out of this 97 deg. heat.
Sunbonnet Sue from beautiful Broaddus, TX
Pic of my wild Cherokee Climbing Rose.

That's a fine looking climbing rose, Sudie. I always leave some pokeweed growing in the garden because the mockingbirds eat the berries if they are available and won't peck my tomatoes as much. This year is it so hot and dry, even the poke weed is struggling to survive. My chickens also eat the poke leaves on the plants they can reach. Never noticed if they eat the berries or not. I once used a bunch of the berries to die a white sheet. It came out a light brown color in the end.

I'd love to have a couple of chickens for bug control. :)

I was reading about poke sallet after the id and found out about inks and dyes made from the berries - I think I read that the Declaration of Independence was written with pokeberry ink and lots of letters during the Civil War era were, too.

I'm planning a pink and brown Civil War reproduction quilt and thought it would be cool to dye some of my own pink fabrics for it, but apparently the dye isn't lightfast and it's very difficult to dye cotton fabrics with it.

At least it was good for mud pies. :)

Yep! : )

Can someone send me some seeds from their pokeweed? My cottage garden could use another bird food plant that is native and easy to raise.

No problem, Rouxcrew. I've got purple berries now. D-mail me your address and I'll pick some tonight to dry out.

My huge Poke weed snapped at the ground. I am heartbroken. My computer was taken out by lightning a week and a half ago or I would post pictures.

Can I pick the purple berries and dry them to get seeds? Is that what you are saying? Any idea if it will come back fom the ground? It was 8 ft tall and atleast 6 foot wide. :(

Yes you can pick the berries when they are black, and yes they normally will come back from the roots.

They just snapped at the ground. I guess from the weight and the fact it was 3 huge trunks at the base. It really broke my heart as it was so huge. I went out and got some pictures but can't post them :(. I did remove the broken ones and hopefully it will come back soon.

I got quite a few berries and have them in a box to dry out.

Seems I read an article that said the poke berries have to pass through a bird before they will germinate.

Poke plants are very hardy since they have a huge root so your plant will probably come back big and beautiful next year if it survives the drought this year. .

I am trading for some Variegated Poke weed seeds. Does anyone have any suggestions on germination? I read were scientists soaked them in concentrated sulphuric acid (technical grade) to get them to sprout. I really really really want to get these variegated poke seeds to sprout. Atleast 1.

I know I can't make a bird eat one let alone make sure it poops in my yard. :(

Put them in a small container and pout boiling water over then and let them soak overnight in it, it works the same.

Thanks so much Frostweed. I will do that as soon as I get them :)

Well... if they need to be processed by bird, I can send some.
Rouxcrew ~ are you sure you want some?
Purple poo all over ~ LOL

ROTFLOL podster OMGosh that is too funny. They are really a beautiful plant and like banana trees they come back bigger each year. I think I will try the boiling water instead of scrapping birdie poo. lol

Can't wait to get and grow the variegated one :)

I have handled worse! With all the various animals we have on the farm, I am sure it is nothing I haven't seen before, or dealt with. LOL
I was sitting here trying to figure out how to get the geese to eat them and hang around long enough so that they would poop them. I can see me now hunting goose poop.
Sigh, the things I do to get something to grow.

Joy

Oh my gosh, is that a sebastopol goose? she's lovely!

I just sent a d-mail about your seeds and couldn't help myself, joking about holding the goose over the flower bed :0)

Yes she is one of my Sebastopols. I have 20 at the moment, want one? They are lovely and interesting birds. Actually holding one over a spot would be easier than trying to find seeds in the poop since my guys free range.

You have no idea, how badly I want one! Sadly, I don't think I have the means to protect them :0(
It would break my heart if one of the wild critters got them. It's hard enough to protect the chickens.
Thank you, tho! The offer and the pictures of them...made my day :0)