the pokeweed family
Pokeweed | Phytolacca _
American pokeweed, (Phytolacca americana), is a herbaceous perennial plant. It belongs to the pokeweed family Phytolaccaceae growing up to 8 feet (2 meters, 4 feet in my woodland garden), in height. It is native to eastern North America, the Midwest, the Gulf Coast, and the West coast states of the USA. Many people consider it a weed. I remove all the new seedlings I find, but 2-3 grow in a far corner of my yard, behind a lattice privacy barrier. Birds eat the berries but they are toxic to mammals.
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| American pokeweed berries (Phytolacca americana) |
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| American pokeweed flowers(Phytolacca americana) |
The pokeweeds are members of the Caryophyllales Order. Caryophyllales is an order of flowering plants that includes the cacti, carnations, amaranths, ice plants, beets, and many carnivorous plants. Many members are succulent, having fleshy stems or leaves.
Additional genera of the Pokeweed Family, Phytolaccaceae
- Agdestis
- Anisomeria
- Ercilla
- Nowickea