Common Pokeweed

Phytolacca americana

Alternate names
Pokeberry

Weed Description
A large, 3 to 10 ft tall, perennial weed with thick, reddish-purple branched stems and dark purple to black berries. All parts of the plant are poisonous to cattle, horses, swine, and humans, especially the roots. Leaves may be cooked to eliminate the poisonous components. Swine are most often affected since they are capable of "grubbing-up" the roots. Found from Maine to Iowa, and Kansas, southward to Texas and Florida and southern Arizona.

Seedlings
Cotyledons 7-33 mm long, 6-11 mm wide, egg-shaped but pointed at the apex. Stems below the cotyledons (hypocotyls) are without hairs, succulent, and often purple-tinged. Young leaves alternate, egg-shaped but pointed at the apex, and without hairs. Cotyledons and young leaves are pale green in color, with reddish tinted petioles.

Leaves
Alternate, 3 1/2-12 inches long, 1-4 inches wide, egg-shaped, petiolated, without hairs, and are smaller in size toward the top of the plant.

Stems
Branch from the root crown at the base of the plant, erect, large, smooth, purple-tinged.

Flowers
Individual flowers small (6 mm wide) with 5 white to pink-tinged sepals.

Fruit
A berry, 7-12 mm, green when immature, dark-purple to black when mature. Contain a dark red juice.

Roots
Large, white tap root up to 6 inches in diameter.

Identifying Characteristics
Large, tree-like plant with egg-shaped leaves, purple-tinged stems and dark purple berries.

Office of Programs

University of Missouri

Common Pokeweed

Phytolacca americana