If you’ve hiked around Table Rock State Park in late summer, you’ve probably noticed a tall plant with bright pink stems and clusters of shiny dark berries growing along the edge of the trail.

That’s American pokeweed (Phytolacca americana), one of the most recognizable native plants found throughout the Upstate.

Hard to Miss

Pokeweed is one of those plants you’ll start seeing everywhere once you know what it looks like.

Look for these features:

• Bright pink to deep crimson stems.
• Long hanging clusters of berries.
• Berries that change from green to deep purple-black as they ripen.
• Large smooth leaves with pointed tips.
• Plants that often grow 6 to 10 feet tall.

It commonly appears along hiking trails, roadsides, creek banks, and other sunny openings where the soil has been disturbed.

A Favorite of Birds

While the berries add a splash of color for hikers, they’re even more valuable to wildlife. Dozens of bird species feed on the fruit during late summer and fall, helping spread the seeds throughout the forest.

If you spot pokeweed with berries disappearing one by one, chances are the local birds have already found it.

Nature’s Purple Ink

Long before modern inks and dyes were common, people discovered that pokeweed berries produced a rich purple-red stain. The juice was sometimes used as ink for writing and coloring fabrics, giving the plant the nickname “inkberry.”

You’ll still notice how easily the berries leave a vivid purple stain if one falls onto a rock or leaf.

A Plant That Starts Over Every Year

Although pokeweed can grow taller than most people in a single season, it doesn’t stay that way. Each winter the stems die back to the ground. Hidden below the soil is a large taproot that survives the cold months before sending up fresh shoots each spring.

Watch for It Around Table Rock

The photos above were taken along the Carrick Creek Trail at Table Rock State Park, where pokeweed thrives beside sunny sections of the trail. From late summer into early fall, its bright pink stems and dark berries provide one of the most colorful displays on the forest edge.

It’s another reminder that some of the Upstate’s most interesting discoveries aren’t towering waterfalls or mountain overlooks. Sometimes they’re growing quietly beside the trail, waiting for someone to stop and take a closer look.

Upstate’s most fascinating discoveries are found by simply slowing down and looking a little closer.