Question
Godzilla
Attached is a photo of a large plant I refer to as Godzilla. Godzilla first appeared in the Fall last year, I thought, well this is a unique plant I'm going to see what it turns into. It only grew to about 2.5 ft tall before winter and had no berries. This year Godzilla returned and I decided to let him grow all summer. He is now as big as my shed and when I took this photograph there was a baby bunny hanging out underneath the plant, which leads me to believe he may be feeding on small animals. Godzilla has small white flowers that turn into black berries that resemble blueberries. I tasted one and I don't care for them, they're pretty bland (I didn't eat it of course!). The juice from them is like purple ink. They also seem to turn from green to black overnight. Any idea what this may be or what planet it originated from? Thanks!
AnswerGodzilla is Poke or Pokeweed, Phytolacca americana, and for Heaven's sake don't go around tasting strange berries; according to Venomous Animals and Poisonous Plants by Steven Foster small children have died from eating Poke berries (it causes stomach cramps, vomiting, labored breathing, seizures and death#. It's toxic to all mammals #but not birds), so bunny baby better not eat any, either.
It can grow to 10 feet tall, though 6 feet is much more common, and is one of the largest and showiest of native Eastern North American weeds. So actually it's likely been around Southeastern Michigan longer than we humans.
Pokes don't tend to take over or spread much, so as long as you don't have any younger family members in the habit of snacking on unusual berries, it should be fine to leave, and should continue to be rather enormous and interesting each year.
