Indian pokeweed is a large perennial native to temperate eastern Asia and an Asian cousin of American pokeweed. Its flower and berry spikes stand straight up instead of drooping, and each fruit is split into about 8 segments. All parts are poisonous, and the root can be mistaken for ginseng.
Appearance
- Growth form
- A large, hairless perennial growing from a thick root, usually around 4 ft (1.3 m) tall and sometimes over 6½ ft (2 m), with stout green (sometimes reddish) stems.
- Leaves
- Big oval leaves with smooth edges, arranged alternately.
- Flowers
- Small greenish-white flowers packed into upright spikes on short stalks. Each flower has 8 stamens.
- Fruit
- Each purplish-black, ribbed fruit is a ring of about 8 separate segments (), each holding one large black seed. A whole fruit is no bigger than a single American pokeweed berry.
Look-alikes
American pokeweedPhytolacca americana
American pokeweed's flower and berry clusters hang down on long stalks, and each berry is smooth and round. Indian pokeweed keeps its spikes upright on short stalks, and each fruit is split into about 8 separate segments.
Why they get mixed upBoth are tall plants with big leaves, white flower spikes, and dark purple berries.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- Disturbed ground
- Waste places
- Woodland edges
- Range
- Native to the Himalayas and temperate eastern Asia, including most of China, and also found in Korea and Japan. Introduced widely in Europe; in the US it is rare, with records from Wisconsin.
Cautions
- Cautions
- All parts are toxic to people and other mammals, and poisonings have been reported. The root can be mistaken for ginseng root.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed
Culture and stories
- Culture and stories
- It has been used in traditional Chinese and Indian medicine and as a dye for food and textiles, but its toxicity makes home use dangerous.
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