It looks like chokeberries. They aren't poisonous but I can think of better things to eat.

Most definitely not deadly nightshade, Atropa belladonna. The berries of that are much more spherical.

I can see why you thought it was though!

That's a Hypericum variety, not sure which, depends on size, might be H. androsaemum - and I confirm its definitely neither woody nor deadly nightshade. Even so, this is a good opportunity to teach the kids not to pick and eat anything without asking first...

Bamboo is right, it's Tutsan. Not good to eat.

Thank you for all the responses. I only saw it yesterday and have been really worried all night thanks to my Google efforts. That's great news. It's a creeper as I keep finding it amongst the beautiful variety of shrubs.

I will still try to remove it because of berries and little ones, but at least I won't be worrying acting like it's the asbestos of the garden world.

Much appreciated.

Ah, well if its popping up all over the place, and its only about 2-3 feet tall, its much more likely to be Hypericum calycinum, which is pretty invasive, popping up throughout a border all over the place as time goes by. Not one to choose and plant frankly...

It isn't a creeper though - the new plants that pop up will be self sown from the seeds of the original.

Not exactly, Steragram - unlike many other Hypericums, Hypericum calycinum spreads by means of underground stolons, which is why a planted clump can produce stems which suddenly appear two feet away

Do you think this is calcynum? Hardly like to disagree with someone who knows such a lot more than I do but it doesn't look like it to me, it appears to have woody branches in the photo.. I thought it was tutsan and I haven't found that to spread by runners. Calcynum is a menace but I've never seen any more than 1 foot maximum - maybe they grow taller in the South. Doesn't it tend to have red stems rather than green ones? If I'm wrong please tell me so I can uproot the two I have - but they haven't spread at all so far. (One of them was indeed a present from the birds and is only there on sufferance until I need the space...) the other is a very pretty cultivar.

Anyway Treve, its nothing special either way and the berries are poisonous though not as deadly as the nightshade.

Difficult to say without seeing more of the area - at the moment all we can see is a few leaves, some random woody parts of something (might be a different plant) and those berries... I'm only guessing because I have come across H. calycinum run rampant in more than one of a client's garden over the years... and when you try to dig out, you find all the 'plants' are attached by stolons... Oh, how relieved I am that I will never, ever have to tackle anything like that again!

I've put up two further photos I took. The stem varies on the side of reds. I will try and get another photo of the stem. Thanks all.

Thanks, now I can clearly see it's not chokeberry.

Treve - if you're trying to identify which Hypericum you've got, please take photos from further back - most Hypericum form a shrub in one place, either small or large, but H. calycinum,whilst it may have a large clump somewhere, will also have a stem or three popping up in the middle of and around other plants, between 1-2 feet tall - over time, it can spread extensively throughout a bed or border in this way.