Phytolacca americana
Alice B. Russell
Pokeweed is a common
plant with large leaves, growing up to 10 feet
tall. The leaves,
which can be 12 inches long are dark green. This plant has thick
stems which turn reddish-purple as they get
older. The flowers come in
clusters
up to 10 inches long. Each flower in the cluster is small
(1/4 inch wide) and white. Pokeweed blooms from July to
September. The fruit of Pokeweed is
a dark purple berry. The berries also grow in clusters on
bright red stems. Each berry is about 1/4 inch across. As
the berries ripen, the clusters droop from the
weight. Pokeweed is a
perennial
plant, which means the stems, leaves, and flowers die each
year, but the roots
(and therefore the plant) stay alive through the winter. In
Spring, each plant will send up new stems and
leaves. Pokeweed is found in
woods, fields, roadsides, gardens, and waste
places. Alice B.
Russell
Peter Sforza
Pokeweed berries are an
important food source for wild life. American Robin,
Northern Mockingbird, Mourning Dove, Gray Catbird, Eastern
Bluebird, Northern Cardinal, Great-crested Flycatcher,
Eastern Kingbird, Eastern Phoebe, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker,
European Starling, Brown Thrasher, Cedar Waxwing, Red Fox,
Virginia Opossum, Raccoon, and White-footed Mouse all eat
the berries. These animals help spread
Pokeweed by pooping out the seeds in new places. Hugh Wilson
staff CDFA, California Department of Food & Agriculture, Botany Laboratory