Phytolacca americana L.
pokeweed
Glabrous, erect, branched, semi-succulent herb to c. 3 m high, with abundant white raphides on lvs, stems and fls (appearing as white dots, especially when dry). Stems thick, softly woody. Petioles 1-3 cm long, rather stout. Lamina 6-30 × 2-12 cm, ovate, ovate-oblong to ± elliptic; base cuneate; apex acute or mucronate. Racemes erect, to c. 20 cm long at fruiting, much less at flowering; peduncles and pedicels slightly to moderately granular-papillose, whitish at first, eventually pink or rose. Fls ⚥, moderately densely arranged. Bracts 3-4 mm long, linear-subulate; bracteoles much smaller. Perianth 5-7 mm diam.; tepals accrescent, 2-3 mm long, ± broad-ovate, persistent, white or greenish white at anthesis, rarely pale pink, becoming pink or rose. Stamens 10, almost = perianth; filaments and anthers white. Ovary (7)-10-(11)-carpellate, green with white raphides. Fr. c. 10 mm diam. when fresh, ± depressed globose, with prominent grooves when dried, glossy black, succulent with dark reddish juice. Seed 2.5-3 mm diam., subspherical, glossy black.
N.: N. Auckland (Kaitaia, Karikari Peninsula, Cavalli Is), but only common in Tauranga.
E. U.S.A. 1950
Waste land, scrub margins, around old homesteads, shaded sites.
FL Nov-Apr.
P. americana was probably introduced for culinary purposes because it is used like spinach elsewhere. Presumably it would have to be cooked well because it is known to be poisonous (Connor 1977). In N.Z. has been confused with P. clavigera and P. octandra and earlier records of P. americana are based on plants of those 2 spp. P. americana has been previously recorded in N.Z. as P. decandra.
