Dave's Garden - Gardening Community
Sponsored Links: Winter Landscaping - Gardeners Supply - Mail Order Plants - Flowering Bulbs - Landscape Design - Plant Nurseries Mail Order

PlantFiles: American Pokeweed
Phytolacca americana 'Melody'

 
  Welcome!  
You've found the famous Dave's Garden website! Join this friendly global community that shares tips and ideas for home and gardens, along with seeds and plants!

Check out the DG homepage for a brief overview of what you'll find in this gardening mega-site.

  Login  
If you don't have an account yet, visit the registration page to sign up.

Username:

Password:

Family: Phytolaccaceae
Genus: Phytolacca (fy-toh-LAK-uh) (Info)
Species: americana (a-mer-ih-KAY-na) (Info)
Cultivar: Melody

Synonym:Phytolacca decandra

One vendor has this plant for sale.

Category:
Perennials

Height:
4-6 ft. (1.2-1.8 m)

Spacing:
18-24 in. (45-60 cm)

Hardiness:
USDA Zone 6a: to -23.3 °C (-10 °F)
USDA Zone 6b: to -20.5 °C (-5 °F)
USDA Zone 7a: to -17.7 °C (0 °F)
USDA Zone 7b: to -14.9 °C (5 °F)
USDA Zone 8a: to -12.2 °C (10 °F)
USDA Zone 8b: to -9.4 °C (15 °F)
USDA Zone 9a: to -6.6 °C (20 °F)
USDA Zone 9b: to -3.8 °C (25 °F)
USDA Zone 10a: to -1.1 °C (30 °F)
USDA Zone 10b: to 1.7 °C (35 °F)

Sun Exposure:
Full Sun
Sun to Partial Shade

Danger:
All parts of plant are poisonous if ingested

Bloom Color:
Green

Bloom Time:
Mid Summer

Foliage:
Grown for foliage
Variegated

Other details:
May be a noxious weed or invasive

Soil pH requirements:
5.6 to 6.0 (acidic)
6.1 to 6.5 (mildly acidic)
6.6 to 7.5 (neutral)

Patent Information:
Unknown - Tell us

Propagation Methods:
From seed; winter sow in vented containers, coldframe or unheated greenhouse

Seed Collecting:
Remove fleshy coating on seeds before storing
Unblemished fruit must be significantly overripe before harvesting seed; clean and dry seeds
Ferment seeds before storing
Wear gloves to protect hands when handling seeds
Properly cleaned, seed can be successfully stored

Profile:

No positives
1 neutral
No negatives

Gardeners' Notes:

RatingAuthorComment
Neutral Joan On Oct 2, 2009, Joan from Belfield, ND (Zone 4a) wrote:


Editor's Note

Some resources list Phytolacca americana, Phytolacca rigida, and all of their synonyms as toxic. All parts are considered harmful, but mainly the roots; shoots, leaves, and berries when fresh and in a large quantity. The more mature the plant material, the higher concentration of toxins.

The toxic principals are phytolaccatoxin and related triterpene saponins, an alkaloid (phytolaccin), and histamines.

Symptoms include burning of mouth and throat, salivation, severe stomach irritation, vomiting, bloody diarrhea, spasms, convulsions. Can be fatal.

We tend to err on the side of caution in PlantFiles, and the poisonous details listed above are a precaution to gardeners, parents and pet owners to look further for more information.


We recommend Firefox
Overwhelmed? There's a lot to see here. Try starting at our homepage.

[ Home | About | Advertise | Mission | Acceptable Use Policy | Tour | Privacy Policy | Contact Us ]

Back to the top

Copyright © 2000-2009 Dave's Garden. All Rights Reserved.
 

NameMedia Home and Gardens
Share on FacebookShare on Stumbleupon

Hope for America