Does anyone know what this is --

[LaurenG]

It wasn't something I planted. It grows extremely quickly and it's almost 6 feet tall so I am going to have to remove it but I sure wish I knew what it was.

Big green big leaved thing! (2 of them now)



These are the "flowers."




Another pic of the big green big leaved thing!

[asdjrocky]

1. I have no idea,

but I wouldn't cut my finger anywhere near that thing.

[MuseRider]

2. LOL

You're BAD!

[asdjrocky]

3. Just sayin....

That thing looks like it might be hungry.

[MuseRider]

12. FEED ME SEYMOUR!

You know the kinda sticky, licky sweets I crave. LOL, love that show.

[Dover]

4. I have a few in my yard that I got from an old timer in my area

who told me tales about its history. I'm embarassed to say I can't recall the name right now.
I thought it was "choke plant" or something like that. They look absolutely tropical to me and
are surprisingly hearty. Apparently the leaves are edible (but must be boiled twice to be rid of the bitterness). And the birds LOVE the deep purple berries. The old timer told me the girls used to rub the berry juice on their lips like lipstick, although I believe the berry is poisonous for humans if ingested. Anyway, I love mine. They are kind of like cannas in their habit, growing really fast in the Spring and then dying to the ground. They are also tubers.

If I come up with the name I'll let you know.

They wouldn't be that hard to move if you have a spot that could use a tall tropical plant with
beautiful draping berries. Just dig up the root ball. They shouldn't be too affected by the move, but if the folliage should die, not to worry cause they'll be back next year so long as their roots are in the dirt.

[dgibby]

5. I think

I think it's called "poke salid", as in the song, "poke salid (or salit) Annie", but don't hold me to it!

[Dover]

6. Oh bless you!!! Pokeweed.

Yes, that's right. SOUNDS like choke...lol!

Yes here's a website:

http://www.watersheds.org/nature/poke.htm

[dgibby]

8. glad to help

here in sc lowcountry, it's second only to kudzu in its ability to "eat" your entire landscape overnight! I try not to let the dogs and cats get too close. you can never be too careful! thanks for the website. by the way, how do you list a link like that? I'm not quite as computer illiterate as McCain, but I think I'm close!

[Dover]

10. go to the top of the page where the window is with the url address

point to it and right click on your mouse. A window should come up that gives some options.
Choose copy and left click on it. Then come back here to your message box and right click on it,
selecting "paste" this time with a left click. The link should appear in the message box.

If you want to also paste a picture here from a website, point your mouse arrow at the picture and right click. Choose 'properties' with left click. A box will come up. Select the URL address by clicking on it to highlight it, right clicking on it and "select all". Then come back here and paste it into the message box.

You can practice here if you like. :hi:
Hope I got all my right and left clicks straight.

[dgibby]

14. thank you sooooooooooo much!!!

I would never have figured that out on my own.

[bvar22]

7. Looks like Poke weed.

Be careful. It is poisonous....and edible if properly prepared (Poke Salad).

It is very difficult to eradicate if it gets out of control.
It has a deep tap root, and multiples rapidly if allowed to go to seed.

[Dover]

9. Don't know why mine haven't migrated much. They go to seed.

But only one new plant has cropped up in eight years, though the original plants grew a little wider.
The birds go crazy for them and I've had occasions when visitors admired their lushness and asked for a baby plant. I guess one man's weed is another's tropical ornamental. :)

[bvar22]

11. I've got several thousand tropical ornamentals....

....growing on my hillside.
The word around here is that black bears also like the berries.
Lucky me.
:)

They are so thick and dominant that nothing else has a chance to grow.
I'm thinking of using a flame thrower to reclaim the hillside.
Seriously.

[dgibby]

15. and then you can plant---

KUDZU! oh, wait a minute---at least it's not poisonous, and you can make jelly, etc out of it. it's also good for weaving baskets, but grows about 12ft/day. no wonder they call it the vine that ate the south!

[bvar22]

17. Truth is: the PokeWeed did a good job stopping an emerging erosion problem.

The previous owners cleared the hillside with a bulldozer prior to the sale, scraped it down to the red clay. Pokeweed, like Kudzu, is one of the few things that will thrive in solid red clay. The PokeWeed spontaniously exploded from the bare clay in a berm about 1/2way down the hillside and cured an emerging erosion problem.....stopped it cold in one season.

We now have a natural terrace emerging uphill from the Poke that has collected a sandy topsoil that would be good for several things we would like to plant on this hillside......IF we can get rid of the PokeWeed.

[MuseRider]

13. If you want to move it

and keep it then OK but beware, it will soon be everywhere. I have to watch my goats, they seem to think it looks tasty.

[LaurenG]

16. Thanks everyone. Pokeweed, got it.

I'll have to take it out tonight after work. We planted "candytuft" so this was a weird thing to see spring up. :7

[flying_wahini]

18. I am pretty sure that is an American Beauty Berry

I have several, they are beautiful in the fall.