This towering purple-berried weed is having a moment outdoors
iNaturalist Community
Native Plants
The tall, magenta-stemmed plant with clusters of dark berries showing up in your alley, fence line, or garden edge right now is pokeweed, and knowing to admire it rather than eat it (the berries and roots are toxic to people and pets) can save you a trip to poison control.
Pokeweed is a big, showy plant with bright pink stems and dark purple berries that pops up on its own in yards, roadsides, and disturbed ground. Right now it's one of the most-logged plants on iNaturalist, with almost 1,000 people snapping photos of it in just one week. Birds love the berries and spread the seeds everywhere, which is part of why you're probably seeing it more this time of year.
Key Findings
979 research-grade observations of Phytolacca americana logged in a single week on iNaturalist
The species ranked among the top trending plants on the platform this week
High observation volume reflects both the plant's late-summer visibility and its wide range across eastern and central North America
chevron_right Technical Summary
American pokeweed is showing up everywhere on iNaturalist right now, with nearly 1,000 verified sightings logged in a single week. The spike shows how citizen scientists track late-summer plant activity across the country in real time.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Trending: American pokeweed (Phytolacca americana) — 979 observations this week
American pokeweed is among the most observed plant species this week with 979 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...