Flora of North America species comparison

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Phytolacca heterotepala

Mexican pokeweed, pokeweed
Habit Plants to 2.5 m.
Leaves

petiole to 5 cm;

blade lanceolate to ovate, to 13 × 6 cm, base obtuse, apex acute to acute-mucronate.
Flowers

sepals 5(–8), greenish, oblong, strikingly unequal, largest ca. twice as wide as smallest, 3–4 × 1.5–2.2 mm;

stamens 15–22, usually in 2 whorls;

carpels 8–11, connate;

ovary 8–11-loculed.
Berries

purple-black, 6–7 mm diam.
Seeds

black, lenticular, 2–2.5 mm, shiny.
Ra

-cemes open, mostly axillary, to 25 cm;

peduncle to 5.5 cm;

pedicel 2–5 mm.

Phytolacca heterotepala
Phenology Flowering summer–winter.
Habitat Disturbed ground
Elevation 10-60 m (0-200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; Mexico [Introduced in North America; introduced in Europe]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Phytolacca heterotepala was first reported in the flora area by J. T. Howell (1960) on the basis of California (San Francisco) collections. Its current status in the flora is uncertain; J. C. Hickman (1993) recorded it as “probably not naturalized.” The few specimens we have seen possess in greater-or-lesser degree those features cited by H. P. H. Walter (1909) in his description of this taxon. The sepals are strikingly unequal, the largest being up to twice as wide as the smallest, and the stamens appearing to be in two whorls. The status of the species itself is in need of further investigation.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 4, p. 8.
Parent taxa Phytolaccaceae > Phytolacca
Sibling taxa
P. acinosa, P. americana, P. bogotensis, P. icosandra, P. octandra
Name authority H. Walter: in H. G. A. Engler, Pflanzenr. 83[IV,39]: 51. (1909)
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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