// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did Phytolacca acinosa say? Leaf me alone.
| Phytolacca acinosa | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Phytolaccaceae |
| Genus: | Phytolacca |
| Species: | P. acinosa |
| Binomial name | |
| Phytolacca acinosa Roxb. | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
Phytolacca acinosa, the Indian pokeweed, is a species of flowering plant in the family Phytolaccaceae.[2] It is native to temperate eastern Asia; the Himalayas, most of China, Vietnam to Japan, and has been widely introduced to Europe.[1] The species was originally described by William Roxburgh in 1814.[3][2]
Description
[edit]Raphides occur profusely in at least the leaves, young flowers, buds, spikes and bracts of at least P. a. var. venosa.[4]
Range
[edit]When the species was originally described it was considered a plant located to Nepal.[3] Currently, the plant is considered native to countries surrounding the Himalayas and introduced to large parts of Europe and parts of the United States (Wisconsin).[1]
Ecology
[edit]Indian pokeweed is a hyperaccumulator for manganese.[5][6]
Toxicity
[edit]All parts of the plant are toxic to human and mammals, with reported poisoning cases. This is due to the presence of saponins and alkaloids (phytolaccatoxin and phytolaccagenin).[7]
Uses
[edit]As a wild food
[edit]The young shoots of Indian pokeweed are cooked and eaten by the Gurung people of western Nepal.[8] They are harvested in June and July.
In traditional medicine
[edit]Used in traditional Indian and Chinese medicine to treat various ailments and induce abortion.[7]
In extracting heavy metals
[edit]Along with other species in its genus, Phytolacca acinosa has the potential to extract heavy metal from contaminated sites.[7]
Other
[edit]It is also used as dye for food and textile.[7]
Similar species (look-a-likes)
[edit]Due to overlap in diagnostic features Phytolacca acinosa can be confused with Phytolacca americana, Phytolacca latbenia or Phytolacca polyandra.[9]
Phytolacca americana
Phytolacca polyandra
The root of Phytolacca acinosa can also be mistaken for ginseng root. [10]
Natural products
[edit]Phytolacca acinosa is the source of four flavones,[11] four oleanane derivatives,[12] and six triterpenoid saponins.[13]
Flavones
[edit]Triterpenoid saponins
[edit]References
[edit]
- 1 2 3 "Phytolacca acinosa Roxb". Plants of the World Online. Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
- 1 2 "Phytolacca acinosa Roxb". www.gbif.org. Retrieved 2021-06-11.
- 1 2 Roxburgh, William, 1751-1815 (1814), Hortus Bengalensis, or a Catalogue of the Plants Growing in the Hounourable East India Company's Botanical Garden at Calcutta (PDF), Wikidata Q16575978
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ↑ Gulliver 1864, p. 251.
- ↑ Xue, S. G.; Chen, Y. X.; Reeves, Roger D.; Baker, Alan J. M.; Lin, Q.; Fernando, Denise R. (2004-10-01). "Manganese uptake and accumulation by the hyperaccumulator plant Phytolacca acinosa Roxb. (Phytolaccaceae)". Environmental Pollution. 131 (3): 393–399. Bibcode:2004EPoll.131..393X. doi:10.1016/J.ENVPOL.2004.03.011. PMID 15261402.
- ↑ Xu, Xianghua; Shi, Jiyan; Chen, Yingxu; Chen, Xincai; Wang, Hui; Perera, Anton (2006-06-27). "Distribution and mobility of manganese in the hyperaccumulator plant Phytolacca acinosa Roxb. (Phytolaccaceae)". Plant and Soil. 285 (1–2): 323–331. Bibcode:2006PlSoi.285..323X. doi:10.1007/S11104-006-9018-2.
- 1 2 3 4 Neblea, Monica Angela; Marian, Mădălina Cristina; Aydin, Tuba (2025). "A Comprehensive Review of the Invasive Species Phytolacca acinosa Roxb". Sustainability. 17 (11): 4826. Bibcode:2025Sust...17.4826N. doi:10.3390/su17114826.
- ↑ Khakurel, Dhruba; Uprety, Yadav; Łuczaj, Łukasz; Rajbhandary, Sangeeta (2021-10-21). "Foods from the wild: Local knowledge, use pattern and distribution in Western Nepal". PLOS One. 16 (10) e0258905. Bibcode:2021PLoSO..1658905K. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0258905. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 8530312. PMID 34673823.
- ↑ "Phytolacca acinosa | Manual of the Alien Plants of Belgium". alienplantsbelgium.be. Retrieved 2021-07-24.
- ↑ "Prevention of Phytolaccaceae poisoning". Prevention of Phytolaccaceae poisoning. Retrieved 14 February 2026.
- ↑ Xiao-Pan Ma; Wen-Fang Zhang; Ping Yi; Jun-Jie Lan; Bin Xia; Sai Jiang; Hua-Yong Lou; Wei-Dong Pan (2017). "Novel Flavones from the Root of Phytolacca acinosa Roxb". Chemistry and Biodiversity. 14 (12). doi:10.1002/cbdv.201700361. PMID 28963759. Wikidata Q47894904.
- ↑ T.K. Razdan; S. Harkar; V. Kachroo; G.L. Koul; E.S. Waight (1983). "Triterpenoids from Phytolacca acinosa, three oleanane derivatives". Phytochemistry. 22 (8): 1797–1800. doi:10.1016/s0031-9422(00)80274-5. Wikidata Q104950731.
- ↑ Jiao He; Jie Ma; Dao-Wan Lai; Yong-min Zhang; Wen-Ji Sun (2011). "A new triterpenoid saponin from the roots of Phytolacca acinosa". Natural Product Research. 25 (18): 1771–1775. doi:10.1080/14786419.2010.535155. PMID 21827284. Wikidata Q45204476.
Bibliography
[edit]- Gulliver, George (1864). "Observations on Raphides and other Crystals". The Annals and Magazine of Natural History, Including Zoology, Botany, and Geology. Third Series. 14: 250–252.
 | This Caryophyllales article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. |
- Phytolacca
- Flora of West Himalaya
- Flora of Nepal
- Flora of East Himalaya
- Flora of Assam (region)
- Flora of Myanmar
- Flora of Vietnam
- Flora of Tibet
- Flora of Manchuria
- Flora of North-Central China
- Flora of South-Central China
- Flora of Southeast China
- Flora of Eastern Asia
- Plants described in 1814
- Taxa named by William Roxburgh
- Caryophyllales stubs