Poisonous if eaten. All plant parts are poisonous to people and pets. Plant caution source
Hidden from default planting suggestions. Wildlife value and native status remain unchanged.
Ecological relationships
Who uses this plant?
9CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including KY
Genus host records with ranges including KY · Phytolacca
- Disclisioprocta stellataSomber Carpet, Bougainvillea Looper
- Herpetogramma aeglealisSerpentine Webworm
- Hypercompe scriboniaGiant Leopard Moth, Great Leopard Moth
- Parapoynx obscuralisObscure Pondweed Moth
- Spodoptera eridaniaSouthern Armyworm Moth
- Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
- Spodoptera ornithogalliYellow-Striped Armyworm Moth, Cotton Cutworm
- Spoladea recurvalisHawaiian Beet Webworm
- Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformisEvergreen Bagworm Moth
18BeesSoutheastern regional records
Southeastern regional records · Phytolacca
Individual names are not available yet.
Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
22BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim
Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Phytolacca
- Agelaius phoeniceusRed-winged Blackbird
- Bombycilla cedrorumCedar Waxwing
- Cardinalis cardinalisNorthern Cardinal
- Catharus fuscescensVeery
- Catharus guttatusHermit Thrush
- Catharus minimus/bicknelliGray-cheeked/Bicknell's Thrush
- Catharus ustulatusSwainson's Thrush
- Columba liviaRock Pigeon
- Contopus virensEastern Wood-Pewee
- Corvus brachyrhynchosAmerican Crow
Show all 22
- Ectopistes migratoriusPassenger Pigeon
- Empidonax flaviventrisYellow-bellied Flycatcher
- Francolinus francolinusBlack Francolin
- Quiscalus quisculaCommon Grackle
- Sialia sialisEastern Bluebird
- Sturnus vulgarisEuropean Starling
- Turdus migratoriusAmerican Robin
- Tyrannus tyrannusEastern Kingbird
- Vireo flavifronsYellow-throated Vireo
- Vireo gilvusWarbling Vireo
- Vireo griseusWhite-eyed Vireo
- Vireo olivaceusRed-eyed Vireo
1AntsRecorded seed interactions
- Pogonomyrmex badius
Pogonomyrmex badius: Seed predation.
No records yet · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects
Growing and identification
Plant details
- Family
- Phytolaccaceae
- Hardiness
- Zones 4a–8b
- Soil pH
- Acidic to alkaline
- Flower color
- Green or white
- Growth rate
- Rapid
- Growth habit
- Single stem
- Foliage color
- Green
- Fruit begins
- Summer
- Fruit ends
- Fall
Growing sources and scope
- Bloom · “Mid summer” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Flower color · “Green or white” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Foliage color · “Green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Fruit begins · “Summer” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Fruit ends · “Fall” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Growth habit · “Single stem” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Growth rate · “Rapid” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Hardiness · “Zones 4a–8b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Height · “4–10 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Leaves · “Deciduous” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Life cycle · “Perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Light · “Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Soil · “Moist; Occasionally dry” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Soil pH · “Acidic to alkaline” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Spread · “3–5 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Also known as
American Pokeweed
Conservation status
| Kentucky rank | Not available |
|---|---|
| Global rank | G5 |
| KY status | Not verified |
| Federal status | Not verified |
In your garden
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Sources
- tnky_atlas
- usda
- nc_flora
- Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
- Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)
- Narango, Tallamy & Shropshire 2020, Few keystone plant genera support the majority of Lepidoptera species, Nature Communications