pokeberry
The dark purple berry on pokeweed, pretty to look at and bad to eat.
Also called poke berries, inkberry.
Updated September 24, 2026
pokeberry pronunciation
/POKE-bair-ee/
Meaning
Pokeberries are the plump, near-black fruits that hang on pokeweed stalks after summer. Birds love them. People do not eat them raw. Rural Southern kids grow up hearing "leave them alone," then later hear about folks crushing them for pink-purple ink or dye. The plant itself is poke or pokeweed; young greens carefully cooked are poke sallet.
How folks use it
- “Don't let the kids eat those pokeberries by the fence.”
- “Grandma mashed pokeberries to dye yarn that faded pink.”
Origin and etymology
Poke comes from an Algonquian word tied to plants used for red dye. American pokeweed (Phytolacca americana) is common along Southern roadsides and field edges. Pokeberry names the fruit; Civil War letters and folk craft both used the juice as ink.
Frequently asked questions
Can you eat pokeberries?
No. The berries and most of the plant are poisonous to people. Birds handle them fine. You leave them alone.