Whether you are a farmer, gardener, or homeowner, pokeweeds are the last thing you want to spot. These unwelcome visitors deprive surrounding plants of nutrients.
If you have yet to develop a keen eye for spotting pokeweed, there’s a chance you may get played by a look-alike.
Feel like that last sentence was speaking to you? You’re probably right – read on as we take you through some of the most common pokeweed doppelgangers.
What is pokeweed?
Pokeweed is a herbaceous perennial shrub indigenous to North America and naturalized in Europe and Asia. It is commonly found in disturbed soils, forest openings, waste areas, roadsides, fields, and pastures.
Here is a summary of the pokeweed’s characteristics:
| Scientific Name | Phytolacca americana |
| Common Name | American Pokeweed Common Pokeweed Garnet Pidgeon Berry Poke Pokeberry Pokeweed Scoke |
| Height | 4 to 10 feet |
| Leaves | Deciduous Smooth Alternate Elliptical 12 inches long 2 to 6 inches wide |
| Bark | Burgundy Red Smooth 2 inches in diameter |
| Branches | Extensive |
| Flowers | White or Green Raceme Inflorescence 4 to 5 petals |
| Fruits | Black, Green or Purple Drooping clusters of fruits |
| Toxicity | Toxic |
Pokeweed is easily identified by its thick fleshy burgundy red stems and branches. It usually grows from 4 to 10 feet high.
During the summer, pokeweed blooms a raceme inflorescence of tiny white flowers. These flowers later turn into drooping clusters of glossy black or purple berries in the fall.
Unfortunately, all parts of the pokeweed are poisonous – so please take our word for it and wear quality gloves when dealing with them. Human contact with pokeweed causes diarrhea, vomiting, dermatitis, and blood aberrations.
How do you get rid of pokeweed?
There are two ways to get rid of pokeweed: dig them out or spray herbicide.
We’ve outlined some steps for you to follow for each of these methods. Read on below!
1. Dig the pokeweed out.
| Difficulty | Moderate ●●●○○ |
| Duration | 1 to 2 hours |
| Things You Need | Gardening gloves Shovel Garbage bag Compost |
| How To Do 1. Manually pull the pokeweed plant out. If not possible, you can dig the plant out with a shovel. 2. Place the berries and roots in a separate garbage bag, so they will not contaminate the soil. 3. Mix the remaining parts of the pokeweed plant, the stems, flowers, and leaves with compost to fertilize the soil. |
2. Use herbicide.
| Difficulty | Easy ●○○○○ |
| Duration | 1 hour |
| Things You Need | Glyphosate herbicide Sprayer Protective gloves |
| How To Do 1. Spray the glyphosate herbicide on the pokeweed leaves until the plant fully absorbs them. 2. Ensure that the leaves fully absorb the herbicide. The chemicals will spread through the plant and roots and dry the plant to death. |
Pokeweed Look-Alikes
Here are the three common pokeweed look-alikes you should look out for.
1. Giant Ragweed (Ambrosia trifida)
| Scientific Name | Ambrosia trifida |
| Common Name | Giant Ragweed Great ragweed Tall ragweed Horseweed Texan great ragweed Buffaloweed |
| Height | 6 to 20 feet |
| Leaves | Opposite3 to 5 deep lobes |
| Bark | Coarse Rough Hairy Slightly ridged |
| Branches | Branched or unbranched |
| Flowers | Terminal racemes Pistillate and staminate flowers Axillary clusters |
| Fruits | Yellow-green Crown-shaped AcheneTiny spines |
| Toxicity | Non-toxic |
| Similarity with Pokeweed | Yellow-green flowers Large leaves Grows in the same habitat |
The Giant Ragweed is an annual plant native to Europe and North America. It is commonly found in disturbed soils, roadsides, pastures, and cultivated fields.
This plant reaches between 6 to 20 feet tall. It has large, oppositely arranged green foliage and blossoms with crown-shaped yellow-green flower clusters.
Although it is non-toxic, the pollen of the Giant Ragweed triggers allergies and causes hay fever in some people. It is also an invasive and noxious weed as it competes with plants and crops for light.
2. Elderberry (Sambucus nigra)
| Scientific Name | Sambucus nigra |
| Common Name | Black Elder Elder Elderberry European Elderberry |
| Height | 10 to 20 feet |
| Leaves | Deciduous Compound Alternate Ovate10 inches long |
| Bark | Grayish-brown Smooth Corky Bumps Furrowed |
| Branches | No branches or stem |
| Flowers | Cream or White Umbel Inflorescence Musky Fragrance |
| Fruits | Glossy black or blue fruits |
| Toxicity | Toxic |
| Similarity with Pokeweed | Shiny black berries or fruits |
Elderberry is a small ornamental shrub native to Europe, Asia, and Africa. It is usually found on roadsides and woodlands.
The bark of the elderberry is grayish brown and marked by furrows and grows between 10 to 20 feet tall.
During spring, the elderberry plant produces an umbel inflorescence of creamy white flowers that turn into glossy black or blue berries.
Elderberry is easily mistaken as pokeweed whenever it bears glossy black or blue berries.
3. Japanese Knotweed (Reynoutria japonica)
| Scientific Name | Reynoutria japonica |
| Common Name | Asiatic Knotweed Donkey Rhubarb Fleeceflower Huzhang Japanese Bamboo Japanese Knotweed Mexican Bamboo |
| Height | 10 to 13 feet |
| Leaves | Sheath Alternate Elliptical 3 to 6 inches long 1 to 3 inches wide |
| Bark | Copper or Red Hollow Slightly ridged |
| Branches | Arching |
| Flowers | Cream, Green or White Spike Inflorescence 4 to 5 petals |
| Fruits | Shiny black Three-angled achenes PaperyWinged |
| Toxicity | Non-Toxic |
| Similarity with Pokeweed | White or green flowers Giant leaves Grows in bushes during blooming season |
The Japanese Knotweed is a perennial plant that came from Asia. This plant is invasive and aggressively propagates in large clumps.
Japanese Knotweed has a hollow reddish-brown stem with nodes. New leaves grow in a dark red hue, but later turn green; and are alternately arranged on the plant’s stem.
During late summer to early fall, the Japanese Knotweed grows in bushes and blooms small spike inflorescence of creme, white or green flowers with 4 to 5 petals.
FAQs on Pokeweed
Pokeweed is unsafe to touch because chemicals from the plant can pass through the skin and affect your blood. When handling pokeweed, it is best to use protective gloves.
Pokeweed is poisonous to humans, especially its roots and seeds. It causes diarrhea, vomiting, dermatitis, and blood aberrations.
Pokeweed is inedible because all of its parts contain toxic chemicals. Eating its berries has caused stomach distress to many adults who have mistaken them for medicinal plants.
To make pokeweed edible, boil them at least twice in water to ensure their toxic components are removed.
In some countries, they add pokeweed leaves to their salads, which are said to have a similar taste to asparagus.
