species: Phtyolacca americana
common name: pokeweed
family: Phytolaccaceae
where & when encountered: Old Westbury, NY - 2013
I saw a lot of this pokeweed growing wild in the summer of 2013. I didn't realize that "poke salad" was a staple in the rural South, and that due to its toxicity it must be boiled multiple times before eating. Nor was I aware of the 1968 song "Polk Salad Annie" written by Tony Joe White and made famous by Elvis Presley. Now I am.
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