American Pokeweed
Phytolacca americana L. - Pokeweed familySize
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
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.