Pigeonberry
by Valerie (August 5, 2001)
 
A very small native perennial, pigeonberry (Rivina humilis) is an understory plant in local woodlands. The leaves are rather nondescript, being glossy, bright green and about 1 to 2 inches long. The real attraction of the plant is its lovely flowers and brightly colored berries. Pigeonberry is fairly drought tolerant and doesn't grow much larger than about one foot tall. Each little shrub produces one to several spikes of delicate pink flowers, which quickly form berries. One stem can still be blossoming at the tip and have ripe berries at the base. The fruit is a translucent bright red and looks like glass. Other names for this plant are rouge plant, inkberry, small pokeweed and baby peppers. As might be expected, a red dye can be produced from the berries. |