They say the berry has a crystal in it that hurts the gums if it is eaten. Supposedly, Native Americans chewed on these berries when they had a tooth ache. Their gums hurting took their minds off of the tooth ache. This plants likes moist, shade in a forested environment. I plant this is a patch of buckwheat for the bees and butterflies.
Turkeys love to eat the seeds in late summer.
This is an ant hill. The red handkerchief is 5 inches square. We have many of these large ant hills. The ants are completely harmless. This is one of our feeding sites.