That seems likely, parent plant may be visible nearby.

Very poisonous. Avoid.

Never heard of poke salad?

Course anything you have to boil several times, I would never try

I love poke salat.....................eat it several times each Spring. Yes, JoAn, I do boil it several times before I mix it with onions and bacon..........delicious. Anyone else on this forum that eats it???

I've never ate it but it does grow in my yard.

I used to use the berries to color my fingernails when I was a child. We were never allowed to eat it because my dad had gotten sick from eating it. Probably because it wasn't cooked properly.

https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002874.htm

Ditto. Pokeweed. I had one 5' tall in my garden and dug it up recently as it was where my pathway was going to be cemented in. My Dad used to talk about eating it when he was a kid. I never tasted it. Birds apparently can tolerate eating the berries, but humans, not so much. It was a kind of pretty plant as mine had three "trunks" and many berry spikes.

Thanks, all! I will go ahead and remove it since I have a toddler and he might be tempted to try the berries. If anyone lives near Grand Prarie and wants the plant, let me know and you're welcome to pick it up.

Given that you might be able to eat it if you take the trouble to prepare it carefully, why should I? Hard to believe that it has a flavor that is worth the trouble. Isn't it kinda like spinach? When I hear stuff like this, I have to guess that eating enjoyment is less about the taste and more about tradition. But I welcome other perspectives.

Tapioca, without going through the same boiling process could paralyze or kill and it is a staple food in many tropical areas. the root from the plant it is made from (manihot esculenta) has lots of cyanide that needs to be boiled out.

Maybe a little of both, daninthedirt, but if I like it, why should I deprive myself the pleasure of eating it??? If it doesn't work for you, that is fine with me.

No offense intended. I just wanted to know if the taste was, well, something extraordinary. I've never tasted it. If not, I completely respect your love of tradition. The simple question is why do people eat it.

And my answer to you from a personal standpoint is that I LIKE it. I use only the young leaves and to me, they are delicious.

Anyone remember the Elvis Presley song "Poke Salad Annie"? My mother had a poke plant in her yard when I was very young and she would cut some and cook it for greens. I never tried it.