Hawaiian pokeweed (Phytolacca sandwicensis)

Hawai'i pokeweed Hawaii pokeweed pōpolo kū mai pōpolo

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Phytolacca sandwicensis: Hawaiian Pokeweed Ecology & Traits

Endemic to the Hawaiian archipelago, the rare perennial Phytolacca sandwicensis produces distinctive dark purple berries and unique flower spikes.

This plant, commonly referred to as Hawai'i pokeweed, is the only member of its genus native exclusively to the Hawaiian Islands, occurring on Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, Molokaʻi, Maui, and Hawaiʻi. It typically occupies open forest clearings and stream beds at elevations ranging from 300 to 6,500 feet above sea level.

Historically, native islanders gathered the plant's juicy, dark purple berries and crushed them to produce a rich pigment for tattooing. Today, it is increasingly explored by horticulturalists as a native ground cover option due to its broad growth habit and resilience to light pruning.

Taxonomy

∟ царство Plantae
∟ division Tracheophytes (Vascular Plants)
∟ subdivision Spermatophytes (Seed plants)
∟ Angiosperms
∟ mesangiosperms (Core angiosperms)
∟ eudicots
∟ core eudicots
∟ Superasterids
∟ order Caryophyllales
∟ family Phytolaccaceae (Pokeweed family)
∟ genus Phytolacca (Pokeweed)
∟ species Phytolacca sandwicensis (Hawaiian pokeweed)

Morphology

This herbaceous, non-woody species exhibits a low and wide growth habit, reaching heights of 1 to 3 feet while spreading up to 10 feet in diameter. The foliage consists of green, oval-shaped leaves that can be completely smooth (glabrous) or covered in fine, tiny hairs (puberulent).

Its small flowers range in color from white to various shades of pink and dark pink, arranged along an elongated spike-like inflorescence. The inflorescence matures into clusters of shiny, dark purple berries that hold the plant's lens-shaped seeds.

Beneath the surface, a sturdy root system supports the plant, thriving best in organic or cinder-rich soils that offer excellent drainage under moderate to full sunlight.

Applications

Native Hawaiians traditionally crushed the ripe berries to extract a dark purple juice, which they employed as a dye for tattooing. Additionally, the plant served as a source of pigments for coloring various traditional items.

In modern times, it is used in ecological restoration and native landscaping. Its low, spreading growth habit makes it an attractive choice for ground cover in parks and botanical gardens, where it responds well to structural trimming.

Interesting facts

The plant is highly poisonous to humans and other mammals, containing triterpene toxins and the alkaloid phytolaccine.
Native birds eat the berries without being poisoned because they digest only the fleshy pulp, passing the hard-coated seeds whole.
It can hybridize with the introduced species Phytolacca octandra, making exact identification difficult where their ranges overlap.

Geography of distribution

Hawaii, United States

Sources

POWO (Plants of the World Online)
WFO (World Flora Online)
Native Plants Hawaii
Handbook of Medicinal Herbs, James A. Duke, 2001

Technical Information

Taxon Synonyms: Phytolacca brachystachys

External Databases: GBIF, POWO, Tropicos

Hawaiian pokeweed (Phytolacca sandwicensis)