NC Native Plant Society:
Plant Details

Phytolacca americana

Pokeweed, American Pokeweed, Great Pokeweed, Pokeberry, Red Ink Plant, Pigeonberry

Scientific Name:	Phytolacca americana
Genus:	Phytolacca
Species Epithet:	americana
Common Name:	Pokeweed, American Pokeweed, Great Pokeweed, Pokeberry, Red Ink Plant, Pigeonberry
Plant Type	Herb/Wildflower
Life Cycle	Perennial
Plant Family	Phytolaccaceae (Pokeweed Family)
Native/Alien:	NC Native
Size:	3-6 ft., 6-12 ft.
Bloom Color(s):	White, Pink
Light:	Sun - 6 or more hours of sun per day, Part Shade - 2 to 6 hours of sun per day
Soil Moisture:	Dry, Moist
Bloom Time:	May, June, July, August, September, October, November
Growing Area:	Mountains, Piedmont, Sandhills, Coastal Plain
Habitat Description:	“In a wide variety of natural and disturbed habitats, usually associated with exposed mineral soil” (Weakley 2015). Common throughout NC.
Leaf Arrangement:	Alternate
Leaf Retention:	Deciduous
Leaf Type:	Leaves veined, not needle-like or scale-like
Leaf Form:	Simple
Life Cycle:	Perennial
Wildlife Value:	Important for Wildlife
Landscape Value:	Not Recommended for home landscapes
Notes:	"An abundant 'native weed' occurring throughout e. North America, P. americana is widely dispersed by birds and quickly colonizes exposed mineral soil even in undisturbed forests, such as on tree- fall tip-up mounds or flood scours. It is most abundant, however, as a weed of urban, suburban, and agricultural disturbances. The berries and mature stems are poisonous; the young stems have been used as a potherb and the purple berries as a source of ink" (Weakley 2015).
Plants Tom Harville
New buds Tom Harville
Blooms just opening Tom Harville
Blooms & green fruit Tom Harville
Green fruit & Ripe fruit Tom Harville
Old Fruit Tom Harville
Old Plant Tom Harville
Tall plant with long racemes of white flowers and pink colored stems Macon County, NC Bettina Darveaux
Senesced plant with remaining berries in November Orange County, NC Bettina Darveaux
Links:	USDA PLANTS Database Record