American Pokeweed

Phytolacca americana L. - Pokeweed family

Size

Mature Height: Up to around 7.3 feet

Plant Type: Forb/herb

Root Depth: 16 inches

Growth Form: Single Stem

Growth Rate: Rapid

Features

Flower Color: White

Conspicuous Flowers: Yes

Bloom Time: Mid Summer

Seasonal Growth: Spring and Summer

Evergreen: No

Fall Colors: Yes

Conditions

Shade Tolerance: Tolerant

Clay Soil Tolerance: Yes

Sandy Soil Tolerance: Yes

Drought Tolerance: Medium

Flood Tolerance: Low

Fire Tolerance: High

Salt Tolerance: None

Ecosystem Interactions

Pollinators: Native Bees; Honey Bees; Beetles, Wasps, Flies; Larval Host (Moth)

Larval Species depending on American Pokeweed: Disclisioprocta stellata, Hypercompe scribonia, Nealyda phytolaccae, Spodoptera eridania, Spodoptera ornithogalli, Synchlora herbaria

Native Range

  • USA:  Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode I., South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin
  • MEX:  Mexico Central, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Northwest, Mexico Southwest
  • CAN:  New Brunswick, Ontario, Québec
Regional Native Status: L48 (N), CAN (N)

State-level native status is based on data available through Plants of the World Online. Regional Native Status comes from the USDA Plants Database. For more detailed native status information, please refer to BONAP.