Phytolacca bogotensis |
Phytolacca icosandra |
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southern pokeweed |
tropical pokeweed |
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Habit | Plants to 2 m. Leaves: petiole 0.5–3(–4) cm; blade broadly lanceolate to elliptic, to 18 × 7 cm, base obtuse to attenuate, apex acute to acuminate. | Plants to 3 m. Leaves: petiole 0.5–6 cm; blade elliptic to obovate or rarely lanceolate, to 30 × 15 cm, base obtuse to attenuate, apex acute. |
Racemes | dense, proximalmost pedicels sometimes bearing 2–few flowers, to 20 cm; peduncle to 5(–8) cm; pedicel 2–4 mm. |
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Inflorescences | spikes or spikelike, surpassing subtending leaves, to 30 cm; peduncle to 10 cm; pedicel 0.5–2 mm. |
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Flowers | sepals 5, white to red, oblong to ovate, subequal, 2–3 × 1.2–2 mm; stamens 7–12, in 1 whorl (rarely, partial 2d whorl present); carpels 7–10, fully connate or sometimes connate only in proximal 1/2; ovary 7–10-loculed. |
sepals 5, white or pink to pale reddish, broadly elliptic, equal, to 3 × 2 mm; stamens (8–)10–22(–30), usually in 2 whorls; carpels mostly 6–10, connate; ovary 6–10-loculed. |
Berries | green-brown becoming dark brown, 5–8 mm diam. |
purple-black, 7–8 mm diam. |
Seeds | black, thickly lenticular, 2.5–3.3 mm, shiny. |
black, thickly lenticular, 2.5–3 mm, shiny. |
2n | = 36. |
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Phytolacca bogotensis |
Phytolacca icosandra |
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Phenology | Flowering; fruiting summer–fall. | Flowering summer–winter. |
Habitat | Chrome ore piles | Disturbed areas, chrome ore piles |
Elevation | 10 m (0 ft) | 10-1800 m (0-5900 ft) |
Distribution |
MD; South America [Introduced in North America] |
AZ; CA; MD; Mexico; Central America; South America; West Indies [Introduced in North America]
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Discussion | Some authors (e.g., J. I. Davis 1985) include Phytolacca octandra in the synonymy of P. icosandra. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Source | FNA vol. 4, p. 8. | FNA vol. 4, p. 9. |
Parent taxa | Phytolaccaceae > Phytolacca | Phytolaccaceae > Phytolacca |
Sibling taxa | ||
Name authority | Kunth: in A. von Humboldt et al., Nov. Gen. Sp. 2: 183. (1817) | Linnaeus: Syst. Nat. ed. 10, 2: 1040. (1759) |
Web links |