Phytolacca americana (fy-toh-LAK-uh a-mer-ih-KAY-nah)
Family: PhytolaccaceaeNativeHerbaceous (3-15 ft)
Herbaceous (3-15 ft)Native
Pokeweed is a herbaceous perennial in the Phytolaccaceae family, native to most of North America and found growing in pastures, recently cleared areas, woodland openings and along fencerows and in wastelands. The genus name is an Algonquian word for red dye plant. It can grow 4 to 10 feet high and 3 to 5 feet wide. It is an aggressive plant that self-seeds easily and can become weedy. The plant grows easily in average, medium moisture, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade. It prefers consistently moist soils but will tolerate short periods of drought. Pokeweed is moderately deer and rabbit resistant. The leaves are bright green, give off an unpleasant aroma when crushed and the stems are attractive reddish-purple color. White blooms first mature in early summer and continue into early fall. The plant has a thick fleshy taproot, up to 12 inches long and 4 inches thick. Dark blue-black, purple berries mature in the late summer to fall and attract birds. Native bees nest in the dead, hollow stems, so gardeners are encouraged to cut back dead stems to 12 to 24 inches and allow them to remain standing until they disintegrate on their own. Read more about best practices for stem-nesting bees in this NC Extension publication . Despite its moderately attractive ornamental features, pokeweed is generally considered a weed in most settings. However, leaving a few for the birds is a good idea. Insects, Diseases, or Other Plant Problems: Susceptible to mosaic virus. All parts of this plant are poisonous to humans and pets.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Often confused withPhytolacca americana var. rigida
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Alkaline (>8.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry
Available space
12 inches-3 feet; 3 feet-6 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 4 ft. 0 in. - 10 ft. 0 in. | Width: 3 ft. 0 in. - 5 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Rapid
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Creeping; Multi-stemmed
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Gold/Yellow; Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Elliptical; Lanceolate
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf feel
Smooth
Leaf value
Fragrant
Leaf size
> 6 inches long, 3-6 inches wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
The large green leaves (12 inches long up to 7 inches wide) and give off an unpleasant aroma when crushed or bruised. Leaves taper at both ends.
Flower color
Green; White
Flower value
Showy
Flower form
Raceme
Flower detail
Racemes of small, white flowers in bloom July through September. Produces flowers that may be up to ¾ of an inch wide along 8” racemes. The flower has five petal-like greenish to white sepals.
Bloom time
Fall; Summer
Fruit color
Black; Green; Purple/Lavender
Fruit detail
Drooping cluster of green fruit ripens to glossy dark purple-black that attract birds and small mammals. Displays from June to November.
Stem color
Purple/Lavender; Red/Burgundy
Stem detail
Showy purple stems, stout (up to 2 inches in diameter), smooth.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Southeastern United States
Distribution
Northern and Central North America.
Wildlife value
Fruits are eaten by songbirds, like robins, cedar-waxwings, and warblers, small mammals, raccoons, opossums, foxes, and black bears. Songbirds, mourning doves, and small mammals eat the seeds. Dead stems are used by stem-nesting bees.
Causes diarrhea and vomiting. The plant contains substances that cause cell division and can damage chromosomes. These substances can be absorbed through any abrasions in the skin, potentially causing serious blood aberrations, and so it is strongly recommended that the people wear gloves when handling the plant.