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Tropical pokeweed (Phytolacca icosandra)

Dlium Tropical pokeweed (Phytolacca icosandra)

Tropical pokeweed (Phytolacca icosandra) is a plant species in the Phytolaccaceae, up to 3 meters high, tubular, green or red in color, many branches, grows in forests, agricultural land, roadsides, disturbed areas and lots of sun.

P. icosandra has a long petiole 0.5-6 cm. Leaves oval or sparsely lanceolate, up to 30 cm long, up to 15 cm wide, blunt base for thinning, sharp tip, a bone in the center with pinnate veins, dark green upper surface and lighter green lower surface.





Flowers grow in bunches 10-20 cm long, red stalks and stand upward, each flower 5-10 mm in diameter with 8-20 stamens. Flowers have 5 sepals, white or pink or pale red, round shape which is long and wide.

Berries grow in bunches, red in color and face up or down and each have a short stalk. The fruit is purple-black and 7-8 mm in diameter. The seeds are black, lenticular thick, 2.5-3 mm and shiny.

TAXON

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Phytolaccaceae
Genus: Phytolacca Tourn. ex L. in Sp. Pl.: 441 (1753)
Species: Phytolacca icosandra L. in Syst. Nat., ed. 10. 2: 1040 (1759)
Variety: Phytolacca icosandra var. anomala Proctor, Phytolacca icosandra var. icosandra

HOMOTYPIC SYNONYMS

Sarcoca icosandra (L.) Raf. in Fl. Tellur. 3: 55 (1837)

PUBLICATIONS

Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & Strong, M.T. (2012). Catalogue of seed plants of the West Indies. Smithsonian Contributions to Botany 98: 1-1192.

Balick, M. J., M. H. Nee & D.E. Atha (2000). Checklist of the vascular plants of Belize. Memoirs of the New York Botanical Garden 85: 1-246.

Brako, L. & Zarucchi, J.L. (1993). Catalogue of the Flowering Plants and Gymnosperms of Peru. Monographs in Systematic Botany from the Missouri Botanical Garden 45: i-xl, 1-1286. Missouri Botanical Garden.

Correa A., Mireya D. Galdames, Carmen Correa A., M. D., C. Galdames & M. S. de Stapf (2004). Catálogo de las Plantas Vasculares de Panamá: 1-599. Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute.

Flora of North America Editorial Committee (2003). Flora of North America North of Mexico 4: 1-559. Oxford University Press, New York, Oxford.

Garcillán, P.P. & al. (2013). Plantas no nativas naturalizadas de la península de Baja California, México. Botanical Sciences 91: 461-475.

Gutiérrez, J. & Solano, E. (2014). Afinidades florísticas y fitogeográficas de la vegetación del municipio de San José Iturbide, Guanajuato, México. Acta Botanica Mexicana 107: 27-65. Instituto de Ecología A.C.

Hokche, O., Berry, P.E. & Huber, O. (eds.) (2008). Nuevo Catálogo de la Flora Vascular de Venezuela: 1-859. Fundación Instituto Botánico de Venezuela.

Idárraga-Piedrahita, A., Ortiz, R.D.C., Callejas Posada, R. & Merello, M. (eds.) (2011). Flora de Antioquia: Catálogo de las Plantas Vasculares 2: 1-939. Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín.

Jørgensen, P.M. & León-Yánez, S. (eds.) (1999). Catalogue of the Vascular Plants of Ecuador. Monographs in Systematic Botany from the Missouri Botanical Garden 75: i-viii, 1-1181. Missouri Botanical Garden.

Knapp, W.M. & Naczi, R.F.C. (2021). Vascular plants of Maryland, USA. A comprehensive account of the state's botanical diversity. Smithsonian Contributions to Botany 113: 1-151.

López Patiño, E.J., Szeszko, D.R., Rascala Pérez, J. & Beltrán Retis, A.S. (2012). The flora of the Tenacingo-Malinalco-Zumpahuacán protected natural area, state of Mexico, Mexico. Harvard Papers in Botany 17: 65-167.

Monro, A.K., González, F., Santamaría, D., Chacón, O., Rodríguez, A., Solano, D. Zamora, N. & Correa, M. (2011). A first checklist to the vascular plants of La Amistad International Park (PILA), Costa Rica-Panama. Phytotaxa 322: 1-283.

Nelson Sutherland, C.H. (2008). Catálogo de las plantes vasculares de Honduras. Espermatofitas: 1-1576. SERNA/Guaymuras, Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

Nurtjahya, E. & al. (2026). Flowering Plants of Bangka Island: Native and Introduced. Acta Botanica Hungarica 68: 127-156.

Van Steenis, C.G.G.J. (ed.) (1948-1954). Flora Malesiana 4: 1-631. Noordhoff-Kolff N.V., Djakarta.

Villaseñor, J.L. (2016). Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Revista Mexicana de Biodiversidad 87: 559-902.

VERNACULAR NAME

Chinese (simplified): 二十蕊商陆
Chinese (traditional): 二十蕊商陸
English: Tropical Pokeweed, Button pokeweed, Devil's Whip, Red inkplant
French: Raisin tropical
German” Tropische Kermesbeere
Indonesia: Cambuk iblis, Getihan
Java: Pecut iblis, Getihan
Melayu: Cambuk iblis
Russian: Лаконос двадцатитычинковый
Spanish: Jaboncillo, Mazorquilla, Quelite de amor

Aryo Bandoro
Dlium TheDlium
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