Phytolacca octandra L., Phytolaccaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Other Latin names:  Phytolacca icosandra L.

Common name(s): [more details]

English: inkweed, phytolacca, pokeweed, red inkplant, scorpion tail, Southern pokeberry, tropical pokeweed

Spanish: almorsaca, jaboncillo, mazorquilla

Habit:  shrub

Description:  "Branched perennial herbs 4-6 (-15) dm tall; stems often reddish, angular.  Leaves elliptic-lanceolate to narrowly elliptic or lanceolate, 6-22 cm long, 1.7-7.5 cm wide, usually glabrous, sometimes lower surface sparsely puberulent along veins, margins entire, petioles 1-3 cm long. Flowers in racemes 7-14 cm long, usually moderately puberulent, peduncles 0.5-2 (-3) cm long, pedicels 0.5-2 mm long, bract 2-2.5 mm long, bracteoles ca. 1 mm long; sepals 5, white to sometimes dark pink, oblong to ovate, ca. 2-3 mm long; stamens 8-10, in a single whorl; ovary 7-8 (-10)-carpellate, the carpels connate throughout.  Berries purple, 7-8 (-10)-ribbed, ca. 4-6 mm in diameter.  Seeds black, lenticular, smooth, ca. 2 mm in diameter" (Wagner et al., 1999; pp. 1015-1016).

Habitat/ecology:  In Hawai‘i, "naturalized in dry pastures and mesic to wet forest, 10-1,280 m" (Wagner et al., 1999; pp. 1015-1016). In New Caledonia, "mauvaise herbe longtemps présente mais jamais commune" (MacKee, 1994; p. 114). In New Zealand, "most abundant in cut-over scrub and forest where it can form dense stands, often in partial shade, but in moister areas commonest in more open habitats such as waste places, river beds, old pastures, neglected or abandoned fields and gardens" (Webb et al., 1988; p. 941).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Neotropics.

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia (Pacific offshore islands) Norfolk Islands	Norfolk Island	introduced invasive	Orchard, Anthony E., ed. (1994) (p. 10) "A common weed, introduced many years ago". Vouchers cited: M. Lazarides 8049 (CANB, K), P.S. Green 1449 (A)
Cook Islands Cook Islands	Cook Islands		McCormack, Gerald (2011)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Isabela Group	Volcán Alcedo, Isabela Island	native	Charles Darwin Research Station (2005)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Isabela Group	Volcán Cerro Azul, Isabela Island	native	Charles Darwin Research Station (2005)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Isabela Group	Volcán Sierra Negra, Isabela Island	native	Charles Darwin Research Station (2005)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Santa Cruz Group	Santa Cruz Island	native	Charles Darwin Research Station (2005)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Santiago Group	Santiago Island	native	Charles Darwin Research Station (2005)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaua‘i Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (pp. 1015-1016)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Lāna‘i Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (pp. 1015-1016)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (pp. 1015-1016)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Moloka‘i Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (pp. 1015-1016) Voucher cited: Faurie 1 (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (pp. 1015-1016)
New Caledonia Îles Loyauté (Loyalte Islands)	Îles Loyauté (Loyalty Islands)	introduced invasive	Tassin, Jacques (2005)
New Caledonia Îles Loyauté (Loyalte Islands)	Île Maré	introduced invasive	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 114) Vouchers cited: Däniker 2655 (Z), Sarasin 461 (Z)
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced invasive	Tassin, Jacques (2005)
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced invasive	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 114) Vouchers cited: Deplanche 93 s.loc., Delacour s.n., Balansa 3030, Franc 590, MacKee 3903, Toutain 3376 (NOU), Suprin 1852

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	Australia (continental)		Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. (1979) (p. 279)
Australia Australia (continental)	Queensland	introduced invasive	Queensland Herbarium (2002) (p. 6)
Colombia Colombia	Colombia (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Costa Rica Costa Rica	Costa Rica (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Ecuador (Mainland) Ecuador	Ecuador (Republic of) (continental)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
El Salvador El Salvador	El Salvador (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Guatemala Guatemala	Guatemala (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Honduras Honduras	Honduras (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Mexico Mexico	Mexico (United Mexican States)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
New Zealand New Zealand	New Zealand (country)	introduced invasive	Owen, S. J. (1997)
New Zealand New Zealand	New Zealand (country)	introduced invasive	Webb, C. J./Sykes, W. R./Garnock-Jones, P. J. (1988) (p. 941)
Nicaragua Nicaragua	Nicaragua (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Panama Panama	Panama (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Perú Perú	Perú (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)

Control: 

Physical:  "Pull out small plants: Leave on site to rot down., minimise disturbance.

Chemical:  1. Slash stems close to ground. Leave on site to rot down. 2. Cut down and paint stump (all year round): metsulferon-methyl 600g/kg (1g/L)"  (Weedbusters New Zealand).

Additional information:
Photos and additional information at the Environment Bay of Plenty, New Zealand, web site of the Bay of Plenty Regional Council.
Information sheet from Weedbusters New Zealand.

Additional online information about Phytolacca octandra is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Information about Phytolacca octandra as a weed (worldwide references) may be available from the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW).

Taxonomic information about Phytolacca octandra may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Charles Darwin Research Station. 2005. CDRS Herbarium records.

Haselwood, E. L./Motter, G. G. 1983. Handbook of Hawaiian Weeds. Second edition, revised and expanded by Robert T. Hirano. University of Hawaii Press. 491 pp.

Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. 1979. A geographical atlas of world weeds. John Wiley & Sons, New York. 391 pp.

MacKee, H. S. 1994. Catalogue des plantes introduites et cultivées en Nouvelle-Calédonie. Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, 164 p.

McCormack, Gerald. 2011. Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga.

Orchard, Anthony E., ed. 1994. Flora of Australia. Vol. 49, Oceanic islands 1. Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra.

Owen, S. J. 1997. Ecological weeds on conservation land in New Zealand: A database. Working draft. Wellington, New Zealand. Department of Conservation.

Queensland Herbarium. 2002. Invasive Naturalised Plants in Southeast Queensland, alphabetical by genus. Modified from: Batianoff, George N. and Butler, Don W. (2002). Assessment of Invasive naturalized plants in south-east Queensland. Appendix. Plant Protection Quarterly 17, 27-34. 11 pp.

Swarbrick, John T. 1997. Weeds of the Pacific Islands. Technical paper no. 209. South Pacific Commission, Noumea, New Caledonia. 124 pp.

Tassin, Jacques. 2005. Jacques Tassin (IAC-CIRAD), personal communication.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2011. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. 1999. Manual of the flowering plants of Hawaii. Revised edition. Bernice P. Bishop Museum special publication. University of Hawai‘i Press/Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 1919 pp. (two volumes).

Webb, C. J./Sykes, W. R./Garnock-Jones, P. J. 1988. Flora of New Zealand, Volume IV: Naturalised pteridophytes, gymnosperms, dicotyledons. Botany Division, DSIR, Christchurch. 1365 pp.