Phytolacca americana

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Phytolacca americana

Family: (Phytolaccaceae)

(P) to 12′.  Pokeweed.  An American native.  Long, spike-like racemes of small, white, apetalous flowers have five petal-like sepals with numerous stamens and a large, green, globose, compound superior ovary resembling a segmented green pumpkin.  After flowering comes the Pokeweed’s raison d’être.  Many-seeded, shining, blackish purple berries follow, which hang in drooping clusters on bright, pink-red inflorescence stalks and produce deep red juice.  The juice from the fruit was used to colour wine and as ink.  The early-season green leaves are ovate-lanceolate and rather fleshy, and turn a reddish purple in autumn.  We love it only in our Flower Garden, in the back of the Red Bed.  BEWARE, all parts of this plant are poisonous!  Sun/partial shade.  3 & T2