''Phytolacca acinosa,'' the Indian pokeweed, is a species of flowering plant in the family
Phytolaccaceae
Phytolaccaceae is a family of flowering plants. Though almost universally recognized by taxonomists, its circumscription has varied. It is also known as the Pokeweed family.
The APG II system, of 2003 (unchanged from the APG system, of 1998), a ...
.
It is native to temperate eastern Asia; the Himalayas, most of China, Vietnam to Japan, and has been widely introduced to Europe.
The species was originally described by
William Roxburgh
William Roxburgh FRSE FRCPE Linnean Society of London, FLS (3/29 June 1751 – 18 February 1815) was a Scottish people, Scottish surgeon and botanist who worked extensively in India, describing species and working on economic botany. He is known ...
in 1814.
Range
When the species was originally described it was considered a plant located to
Nepal
Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne,
सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...
.
Currently, the plant is considered native to countries surrounding the
Himalayas
The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...
and introduced to large parts of
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
and parts of the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
(
Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
).
Similar species (look-a-likes)
Due to overlap in diagnostic feature ''Phytolacca acinosa'' can be confused with ''
Phytolacca americana
''Phytolacca americana'', also known as American pokeweed, pokeweed, poke sallet, dragonberries, and inkberry, is a poisonous, herbaceous perennial plant in the pokeweed family Phytolaccaceae. This pokeweed grows . It has simple leaves on green ...
,
Phytolacca latbenia or
Phytolacca polyandra''.
File:Phytolacca americana 142177709.jpg, ''P. americana''
File:Phytolacca polyandra Prague 2012 6.jpg, ''P. polyandra''
Natural products
''Phytolacca acinosa'' is the source of four
Flavones
Flavones (from Latin ''flavus'' "yellow") are a class of flavonoids based on the backbone of 2-phenylchromen-4-one (2-phenyl-1-benzopyran-4-one) (as shown in the first image of this article).
Flavones are common in foods, mainly from spices, and ...
, four,
oleanane
Oleanane is a natural triterpenoid. It is commonly found in woody angiosperms and as a result is often used as an indicator of these plants in the fossil record. It is a member of the oleanoid series, which consists of pentacyclic triterpenoids ( ...
derivatives and six
Triterpenoid saponins
Saponins (Latin "sapon", soap + "-in", one of), also selectively referred to as triterpene glycosides, are bitter-tasting usually toxic plant-derived organic chemicals that have a foamy quality when agitated in water. They are widely distributed ...
Flavones
*
Cochliophilin A
*
Cochliophilin B
*
6-methoxy-7-hydroxy flavone
*
6,7-methylenedioxy-4-hydroxypeltogynan-7′-one
Triterpenoid saponins
*
esculentoside A
*
esculentoside B
*
esculentoside C
*
esculentoside D
*
esculentoside H
*
esculentoside T
References
acinosa
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-stub