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Phytolacca americana var. americana

Phytolacca americana var. americana

Poisonous if eaten

Native to Virginia. Not suggested for planting. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 24%

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.

At a glance

Not yet recorded · Height · Spread · Light · Soil · Life cycle · Leaves · Bloom

This plant is missing most of its facts, so Quercus is looking them up in old botany books.

Recorded in 101 Virginia counties.

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

10CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · Phytolacca

  • Disclisioprocta stellataSomber Carpet, Bougainvillea Looper
  • Herpetogramma aeglealisSerpentine Webworm
  • Hypenula cacuminalisLong-Horned Owlet
  • 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
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
18BeesSoutheastern regional records
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
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
PHYTOLACCACEAE

What its natural habitat tells you

Conservation status

Virginia rankS5
Global rankNot available
VA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source

In your garden

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Sources