Inkberry Thwacking Alert

If you plan to head south on the Harrison Street sidewalk towards the bridge over Carnegie Lake, be advised not to wear a nice shirt. A branch of inkberry, which travels in professional circles as Phytolacca americana, but also has been known to go by the more humble name "pokeweed" or simply "poke", has grown out over the sidewalk. Its berries are ripening, and when they do,

as these in the photo have, it's highly likely that any passerby, perhaps distracted by the view or by cars barreling by, or by interesting thoughts, as Princetonians often are, will get thwacked in a way that shirts do not easily forget.