This is the second year for this plant, it grows very fast (four feet plus) with purple stems and small white flowers. I've attached photos. What is this plant?
It's a common pokeweed, Phytolacca americana, it is poisonous. Especially the berries. You can eat the young leaves if the are cooked, Boiled twice with water discarded after each boiling, but unless you are sure about I would not. I ate it growing up and it's not bad as greens go. Gene
Thank you for the quick ID and information. I guess we will be cutting this plan down soon. Would it be safe to compost Pokeweed after it has been shredded?
Oh sure. The poisons are water soluable and will break down on the soil. Just make sure you discard the berries as the seeds may not compost and you could end up with a much larger crop. Also you may need to dig up the root as it will resprout annually. Gene
