Phytolacca americana. Pokeweed.

Thanks! It even has weed in the name!

To kill it, you'll need to remove the root.

One of the many Epic Pokeweed Threads:
http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/namegal/msg0816284825135.html

i swear to god... i just thought .. yesterday.. we havent seen a pokeweed post in 10 days or so ...

the pretty grape colored berries are very poisonous ... if you have kids or gkids around.. who stick things in their mouths.. i wouldnt have it around ...

cut to the ground and drip round up on it ... and keep doing it until the MASSIVE horseradish like root dies.. might take 3 or 4 applications ...ANY PIECE left in the ground.. WILL come back ... eventually ...

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link

Lol, Ken, the last time you identified a weed as pokeweed......wasn't! I'm glad you got your 'fix' in.

Lol, Ken, the last time you identified a weed as pokeweed......wasn't! I'm glad you got your 'fix' in.

I like ken's method of control better than digging the root out.....which is rarely successful. Next year, keep a very close watch for seedlings....it's pretty much guaranteed that you'll have more pokeweed cropping up.

I've never seen a root/tuber live through being doused with boiling water. Cut at surface, excavate a little moat until you see the thing, pour the BW. Gone.