POKEWEED FAMILY PHYTOLACCACEAE 
POKEWEED. COMMON POKE 
Phytolacca americana L. 
The Pokeweed family is represented in Illinois by only this 
species, which is variously called Pokeweed, Pokeberry, Common 
Poke, Pigeon Berry and Inkberry. It is found in waste places, 
fields, open woods and 
thickets throughout most of 
the eastern and southeastern 
parts of the United States, 
and is one of the few Ameri- 
can plants that have be- 
come widely established as 
weeds in Europe. The 
young shoots are sometimes 
eaten like Asparagus and 
the leaves are often used as 
greens. A tincture from the 
roots is much used in medi- 
berries is used in antifat 
drugs. 
It is a smooth, narcotic- 
herbaceous plant with a 
lanceolate or ovate-lanceo- 
late, pinnately veined, acute or acuminate at both ends and on 
> pinnately veined, acut 
petioles one-half inch to 4 inches long. 
The plant branches profusely and usually bears many clusters 
of flowers. There is no corolla but the white sepals are petallike. 
There are 10 short stamens and a green ovary with 10 recurved 
styles. The inedible fruits are dark purple, very juicy berries, 
in long racemes. The Pokeweed blooms from June to September 
and ripe berries are found from August to October. 
80 
cine, and extract from the — 
odored, somewhat fleshy — 
branching stem that grows — 
3-10 feet tall and a large 
perennial root that is poison- — 
ous. The alternate leaves — 
are 8-12 inches long, oblong- — 
