Phytolacca heterotepala

Mexican pokeweed

Family: Phytolaccaceae · Type: perennial · Not Native

Mexican pokeweed is a naturalized perennial found in the central coastal region of San Francisco in disturbed areas at elevations of 10 to 60 meters. Flowering from summer to winter, this plant produces white flowers with green centers, small and delicate, arranged in open racemes up to 25 centimeters long. Growing to a robust height of 2.5 meters with multiple stems, it develops a substantial presence in its habitat. Its leaves are distinctive, with blades up to 13 centimeters long and 6 centimeters wide, ranging from lanceolate to ovate shapes with petioles extending to 5 centimeters. The plant produces distinctive purple-black fruits approximately 6 to 7 millimeters in diameter, containing shiny black seeds.

Habitat: Disturbed areas

Bloom period: Summer-winter

Elevation: 10-60 m

Bioregions: CCo (San Francisco)

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.