Hi All, I don't have a photograph for you yet, here is the description: Looks like a poke weed style cluster of berries, about blueberry sized. Arranged in a tight tapering long column. Berries seem to be ripening from red to purple along the column. I initially thought this was a poke weed but the plant is a non woody vine, bright green stem about 4 inches/fist sized in diameter growing on a holly tree and is approximately 6-8 feet long. May be parasitic. Growing in northern California. Anyway the first time I ate the berries I got very sick. The second time same thing...pretty sick. They tend to make your mouth burn. I am affraid if I eat them a third time, again I will be sick. Any idea what this plant is?
One that you should NOT consider eating any part of, ever again. Please give us a photo. Can you provide any desc. of leaves---size, arrangement, etc?
Hahahha true! I didn't really eat the berries, just hoping to get a giggle. But I am legitimately interested in what the plant is. I will try to get a photo tonight, its growing in the yard of my new house but it will be dark when I get home. We'll see how well the flash on the camera works. The most shocking aspect of the plant is the size of the green non woody stem.
The leaves are and whole stem are vibrant light green --almost grape like in shape, if I recall. I thought poke weed but there is no red in the stems by the berries, unless there is some all green variety that I am not seeing in my image searches. Thanks for the quick replys.
I don't think so, my aunt was over, she is a pretty active gardener, and she id'ed and gushed over the 50-100 yr old heirloom wisteria growing on an old steel trellis but could not ID the vine and was just as curious. I'll get a picture for you. I did scour google images and this sites search engine before posting. Didn't see anything like it.
5 posts so far, will he make 6? I can't beleive that you ate the berries of something you didn't know or could identify, incredible! Anyway, how about some sort of Smilax? http://www.rain-tree.com/pics/sarsaparilla-11.jpg http://www.swsbm.com/Images/S/Smilax_californica.jpg
Well... people eat stuff all the time from fast-food joints, contents of which often fall into the unknown/unidentifiable category. I got the impression from zepper's post (#4) that he in fact did not ingest said berries, but said so as an attempt at humor. Still awaiting photo of this mythic vine...
Ouch, no faith. Post number 6!!! Whew made it. Camera was a no go last night. I am working O dark thirty until O dark thirty so my dad will have to snap a photo for me. He is retired and working on the house durring those few precious hours of daylight. Patience.
Just saw your links Steve, for sure not option A as it is woody. Option B may be our culprit. Stems appear to be herbaecous (sp?) leaves appear to be similar in shape, but does it produce berries???
Hi Zepper, glad you made this post lol. Not sure about how woody or not the second one is. Certainly there are quite a few species of Smilax and some are herbaceous. All species produce berries too. I will await with utmost patience for your dads photo.
hmmm, saw the berries for the smilax, they look to be red and in small clusters not really a long column of purple blueberry sized berries. No dice there unless there is a second variety?
Jeez loueeze, zepper! The suspense is unbearable! Smilax, or not to smilax, that is the question... ...to bear the berries of outrageous non-woodies, or, by our knowledge, name them...
hahahaha I've commissioned the father to take the picture today. I'm just hoping we don't get some fuzzy out of focus picture that makes this 'mythical' vine look like big foot or Nessy. I'll keep my fingers crossed, and hope for the best. But you have to admit that this adds a little excitement and anticipation to the otherwise open and shut ID cases you and Steve are used to. Not saying that after you see the photo it won't be an open and shut ID, but hopefully the process has been entertaining.
Assuredly. Ah, but mon ami zepper...even an open and shut ID may not be so simple! Prolonged argument over the species, even if the genus id agreed upon, is standard procedure...and then there is the precise ID of variety. Oh my goodness. Yours may be one such that goes to eleven rounds and must be decided by TKO. We await the sound of the bell! (Aw, go on...you took the photo days ago, and are just giving us a big dramatic pause for effect, eh?)
Ok so I finnally got a second look and a memory refresher. So it looks like our stems are woody near the base, with some green in the stem poking through. I had remembered all of the secondary stems being green and thought I remembered the base stem being the same. The picture of the stem is about thigh height and gets a little bigger near the bottom so size wise it is a 3" or 4" stem at the base and the plant is about 8 ft long or high. Also the columns of berries are 8" to 10" long. It looks like we have some sort of pokeweed but not like any that I was able to find pictures of on the web. What do you think guys? Thank you for your help....and patience!
If Daniel says so, then it is. So let it be written---so let it be done. See, zepper? You were right in thinking 'pokeweed'. Yours is octandra rather than americana, but you nailed the Phytolacca. Your plant is gigantic! Wow.
Sweet! I just want to thank everyone, and god, for helping me identify my plant! I am guessing the plant has little value to most people, I am willing to give it away but I am not sure that anyone would want it, I mean the name says it all 'inkweed', probably going to have to take it down....maybe I'll leave him up until spring.
