Flora of North America species comparison

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Phytolacca

pokeberry, pokeweed
Habit Herbs [shrubs or trees], perennial.
Leaves

alternate.
Inflorescences

axillary, terminal, or leaf-opposed racemes or spikes, 5–100-flowered, proximalmost pedicels sometimes bearing more than 1 flower.
Flowers

sepals 5–8;

stamens (7–)8–25(–30), sometimes in 1–2 whorls;

carpels 6–12(–30), distinct or connate at least proximally;

if connate, ovary 6–12-loculed;

style and stigma 1 per carpel.
Fruits

either oblate berries, style persisting in ring at apex, or group of lenticular achenes.
Seeds

6–12(–30) per berry or 1 per achene.

Phytolacca
Distribution
map from USDA
North America; Mexico; Central America; South America; West Indies; Eurasia; Africa; Pacific Islands; Australia
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Species ca. 25 (6 in the flora).

Phytolacca dioica Linnaeus, the ombú, a fast-growing, wide-spreading, evergreen, unisexual South American tree to 25 m, is sparingly cultivated in the warmest regions of the flora.

Yet to be written is the last word on the taxonomy and nomenclature of our introduced taxa of Phytolacca.

Etymology: Greek phyton, plant, and Latin lacca, crimson dye, in reference to the pigment the berries yield

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Parent taxa Phytolaccaceae
Subordinate taxa
P. acinosa, P. americana, P. bogotensis, P. heterotepala, P. icosandra, P. octandra
Key
1. Carpels distinct; fruits achenes
P. acinosa
1. Carpels connate, at least in proximal 1/2; fruits berries
→ 2
2. Inflorescences spikes or spikelike; pedicel absent or 0.5- 2(-4) mm
→ 3
2. Inflorescences racemes; pedicel 2-13 mm
→ 4
3. Inflorescences longer than subtending leaves; stamens, at least in middle and proximal flowers, (8-)10-22(-30), in 2 whorls
P. icosandra
3. Inflorescences equaling or shorter than subtending leaves; stamens (7-)8-10, in 1 whorl
P. octandra
4. Stamens usually in 2 whorls; sepals strikingly unequal, largest about 2 times as wide as smallest; California
P. heterotepala
4. Stamens usually in 1 whorl; sepals ± equal or subequal; not restricted to California
→ 5
5. Inflorescences open racemes; pedicel 3-13 mm; widely distributed
P. americana
5. Inflorescences dense racemes; pedicel 2-4 mm; Maryland
P. bogotensis
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 441. (1753): Gen. Pl. ed. 5, 200. (1754)
Source FNA vol. 4, p. 6. Treatment authors: Mark A. Nienaber, John W. Thieret.
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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