This towering purple-berried native plant is having its moment
iNaturalist Community
Phenology
That waist-high plant with magenta stems and dark berries popping up along your fence line or in the alley behind your house is pokeweed, and right now is exactly when it's easiest to identify and log.
Pokeweed is a big, dramatic-looking native plant with hot pink stems and clusters of dark purple berries that birds love. Right now, nature enthusiasts across the country are spotting and photographing it in huge numbers, which usually means it's hitting peak growth and fruiting for the season. It's a good time to look for it on walks, though every part of the plant is toxic to humans, so admire it rather than taste it.
Key Findings
886 research-grade observations of American pokeweed were logged on iNaturalist in a single week
The species ranked among the most-observed plants nationally during this period
High observation volume typically tracks with peak summer growth and fruiting phenology
chevron_right Technical Summary
American pokeweed is showing up everywhere on nature-tracking apps right now, with nearly 900 confirmed sightings logged in just one week. It's a signal that this tall, purple-berried native plant is hitting its peak visibility season across much of the country.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Trending: American pokeweed (Phytolacca americana) — 886 observations this week
American pokeweed is among the most observed plant species this week with 886 research-grade observations.
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
Species Mentioned
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Phytolacca americana, also known as American pokeweed, pokeweed, poke sallet, pokeberry, dragonberries, pigeonberry weed, and inkberry, is a poisonous, herbaceous perennial plant in the pokeweed family Phytolaccaceae. This pokeweed grows 1 to 3 metres. It has simple leaves on green to red or purp...