COMMON POKEWEED, Phytolocca
americona L. 1, part of fleshy taproot; 2, branch
with flower raceme and berries; 3, flower; 4, upper surface
of berry; 5, seed. Perennial, from a very large, poisonous
taproot, often 6 inches (15 cm) across in older plants. Stems stout,
erect, 3 to 9 feet (0.9 to 2.7 m) high, smooth, branching above, often
reddish, dying to the ground each winter. Leaves alternate, large
but smaller toward top of plant, with short to long petioles. Flowers
small, white, in long, rather narrow, unbranched racemes from ends of stems
and from upper branches. Fruit a dark purple, many-seeded berry
with red juice. Seeds small, flattened, round in outline, shiny
black, about 1/8 inch (3 mm) in diameter. Found in rich, low-ground
pastures, roadsides, borders of fields, and similar places. The root is
the most poisonous part of the plant. Poisoning from leaves and berries
is occasional.