Object: Pokeweed - Pokeberry - Phytolacca sp.

Image Credits

Phytocacca americana, wikimedia commons

Object Type(s)
Description

Pokeweed, Phytolacca americana,  is poisonous to humans, dogs, and cattle, approx 3 -8 feet tall in the Northeast, and is a very hardy weed.

Seeds from this plant were found in the 17th century layer of the archeology of Lower Manhattan.

See a detailed article on the archeology of plant life in New Amsterdam by Joel Grossman, PhD. here.  Courtesy of the Holland Society of New York.