Plants of South Eastern New South Wales

Phytolacca octandra

Flower cluster and leaves. Photographer Don Wood, McDonald State Forest, NW of Ulladulla

Fruit clusters and leaves. Photographer Don Wood, south of Eden.

Fruit cluster. Photographer Jackie Miles

Shrub. Australian Plant Image Index, photographer Murray Fagg, south of Gooloogong

Common name

Inkweed, Red-ink Weed

Family

Phytolaccaceae

Where found

Forest margins, woodland, pastures, roadsides, disturbed sites, gardens, and stream banks. Widespread, mainly coast and ranges.

Notes

Introduced perennial herb or shrub to 3 m high. Fruit fleshy. Stems green to pinkish or reddish, hairless. Rank-smelling. Leaves alternating up the stems, 3.5-25 cm long, 10–130 mm wide, margins entire, surfaces hairless, tips pointed. Flowers with 5 'petals' each 2-4 mm long. Flowers turn from white or greenish-white to red or reddish-purple as they age. Flowers in many-flowered elongated clusters. Flowers mostly Spring to Summer. Fruit fleshy, turning from green to red, then purplish black to black as it ripens, 4–6 mm in diameter.

PlantNET description:  http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Phytolacca~octandra (accessed 31 January, 2021)