Button Pokeweed (Phytolacca icosandra)

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Identidad taxonómica

Scientific name: Phytolacca icosandra L.
Canonical name: The scientific name without its authorship or date, for example Zea mays instead of Zea mays L.: Phytolacca icosandra
Authorship: The author or authors credited with publishing the scientific name. It is written after the name, sometimes with the year, for example L. (Linnaeus) in Zea mays L. An author in parentheses first published the name in another genus or rank.: L.
Common names: Button Pokeweed, Tropical Pokeweed, red inkplant
Names in other languages (14)
Bella sombra, Guaba, Quelite de amor, Raisin tropical, Southern poke-weed, Tropische Kermesbeere, almorsaca, jaboncillo, mazorquilla, scorpion-tail, telkok, Лаконос двадцатитычинковый, 二十蕊商陆, 二十蕊商陸
Kingdom: One of the broadest ranks of biological classification. It groups organisms that share very basic features, for example plants (Plantae), animals (Animalia) or fungi (Fungi).: Plantae
Phylum: Rank below kingdom that groups organisms with a shared general body plan, for example chordates (Chordata), arthropods (Arthropoda) or vascular plants (Tracheophyta). In botany the same rank is also called division.: Tracheophyta
Class: Rank below phylum, for example mammals (Mammalia), birds (Aves), insects (Insecta) or monocot plants such as grasses and orchids (Liliopsida).: Magnoliopsida
Order: Rank below class that groups related families, for example grasses and their relatives (Poales) or bats (Chiroptera).: Caryophyllales
Family: Rank below order that groups related genera. Family names usually end in -aceae in botany (for example Poaceae, the grass family) and in -idae in zoology (for example Felidae, the cat family).: Phytolaccaceae
Genus: Rank that groups closely related species. Its name is the first word of a species' scientific name and starts with a capital letter, for example Zea in Zea mays.: Phytolacca
Specific epithet: The second word of a species' scientific name. On its own it does not name the species: it always goes with the genus, for example mays in Zea mays.: icosandra
Taxonomic rank: The level a name occupies in the hierarchy of biological classification, such as kingdom, family, genus, species or subspecies.: species
Reference species: Phytolacca icosandra
Taxonomic status: Whether the taxonomic catalogue the record comes from currently accepts this name for the organism, or treats it as a synonym of another accepted name or as doubtful.: accepted name

Photos and conservation status

IUCN Red List category: The extinction-risk category that the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) assigns to a species on its Red List. EX Extinct: there is no reasonable doubt that the last individual has died. EW Extinct in the wild: it survives only in cultivation, in captivity or as a population far outside its past range. CR Critically endangered, EN Endangered and VU Vulnerable: the three threatened categories, from an extremely high to a high risk of extinction in the wild. NT Near threatened: close to qualifying as threatened. LC Least concern: evaluated and not threatened. DD Data deficient: there is not enough information to assess its risk. NE Not evaluated: not yet assessed against the criteria. It describes the risk of the species worldwide, not its situation in a project's area.: Not available.

No photos have been requested for this species yet.

Interacciones documentadas

GloBI says it is documented somewhere in the world. Biolitica answers whether it could happen here.

A documented interaction means it was recorded somewhere in the world. It does not mean it occurs here.

Types shown: 6 of 6 eats × is eaten by × is a host of × interacts with (this species is the record's destination) × interacts with (this species is the record's origin) × has its flowers visited by ×

Blocks that do not sit under a navigation concept heading keep the source's own term: no navigation concept has been assigned to them yet.

eats 7 organisms

This term declares that the organism benefits this species.

Organism	Reads as	Studies	Where it was documented
Silvereye Zosterops lateralis Zosteropidae	eats	2	not compared
2 sources · 2 records Wotton & McAlpine. 2015. NZ J Ecol 39, 155-169. Published in globalbioticinteractions/perry2020 Context: New Zealand · no date published Merton 1966, Notornis 13, 179-184. Published in globalbioticinteractions/perry2020 Context: New Zealand · no date published A published relationship says these two taxa were documented interacting. It does not say how often, or that it happens in this project's region.
Red-crowned Parakeet Cyanoramphus novaezelandiae Psittaculidae	eats	2	not compared
2 sources · 2 records Wotton & McAlpine. 2015. NZ J Ecol 39, 155-169. Published in globalbioticinteractions/perry2020 Context: New Zealand · no date published Greene 1990. NZ J Ecol, 22, 161-171. Published in globalbioticinteractions/perry2020 Context: New Zealand · no date published A published relationship says these two taxa were documented interacting. It does not say how often, or that it happens in this project's region.
Tui Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae Meliphagidae	eats	1	not compared
1 source · 1 record Wotton & McAlpine. 2015. NZ J Ecol 39, 155-169. Published in globalbioticinteractions/perry2020 Context: New Zealand · no date published A published relationship says these two taxa were documented interacting. It does not say how often, or that it happens in this project's region.
Common Pheasant Phasianus colchicus Phasianidae	eats	1	not compared
1 source · 1 record Wotton & McAlpine. 2015. NZ J Ecol 39, 155-169. Published in globalbioticinteractions/perry2020 Context: New Zealand · no date published A published relationship says these two taxa were documented interacting. It does not say how often, or that it happens in this project's region.

Showing 4 of 7, by number of studies See more of this type

is eaten by 3 organisms

This term does declare that the organism harms this species.

Organism	Reads as	Studies	Where it was documented
Jikradia basipendula	is eaten by	1	no location
1 source · 1 record Nielson, M.W. (1979b) A revision of the subfamily Coelidiinae (Homoptera: Cicadellidae). III. Tribe Teruliini. <i>Pacific Insects Monograph</i>, 35, 1–329. Published in urn:lsid:checklistbank.org:dataset:2317 Context: no place published · no date published A published relationship says these two taxa were documented interacting. It does not say how often, or that it happens in this project's region.
Russet Nightingale-thrush Catharus occidentalis Turdidae	is eaten by	1	not compared
1 source · 1 record https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/54640778 Published in globalbioticinteractions/inaturalist Context: no place published · July 25, 2020 · Human observation A published relationship says these two taxa were documented interacting. It does not say how often, or that it happens in this project's region.
Epilachna mexicana Coccinellidae	is eaten by	1	not compared
1 source · 1 record https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/180807163 Published in globalbioticinteractions/inaturalist Context: no place published · Aug. 20, 2023 · Human observation A published relationship says these two taxa were documented interacting. It does not say how often, or that it happens in this project's region.

Showing 3 of 3, by number of studies

is a host of 3 organisms

The authority declares no effect on this species for this term: neither that it harms it nor that it benefits it. In the source ontology symbiosis covers mutualism, commensalism and parasitism alike, so this block holds attackers and allies side by side.

Organism	Reads as	Studies	Where it was documented
BOLD:AAH4813 Crambidae	is a host of	7	not compared
7 sources · 7 records http://bins.boldsystems.org/index.php/Public_RecordView?processid=MHMYM2779-14 Published in globalbioticinteractions/bold Context: Area de Conservacion Guanacaste, Sector Rincon Rain Forest, Finca Esmeralda · July 24, 2014 · Material sample http://bins.boldsystems.org/index.php/Public_RecordView?processid=MHMYM2859-14 Published in globalbioticinteractions/bold Context: Area de Conservacion Guanacaste, Sector Rincon Rain Forest, Finca Esmeralda · July 22, 2014 · Material sample http://bins.boldsystems.org/index.php/Public_RecordView?processid=MHMYM2860-14 Published in globalbioticinteractions/bold Context: Area de Conservacion Guanacaste, Sector Rincon Rain Forest, Finca Esmeralda · July 24, 2014 · Material sample http://bins.boldsystems.org/index.php/Public_RecordView?processid=MHMYR684-12 Published in globalbioticinteractions/bold Context: Area de Conservacion Guanacaste, Brasilia, Gallinazo · Sept. 10, 2011 · Material sample http://bins.boldsystems.org/index.php/Public_RecordView?processid=MHMYR795-12 Published in globalbioticinteractions/bold Context: Area de Conservacion Guanacaste, Brasilia, Gallinazo · Sept. 10, 2011 · Material sample http://bins.boldsystems.org/index.php/Public_RecordView?processid=MHMYR796-12 Published in globalbioticinteractions/bold Context: Area de Conservacion Guanacaste, Brasilia, Gallinazo · Sept. 11, 2011 · Material sample http://bins.boldsystems.org/index.php/Public_RecordView?processid=MHMYR797-12 Published in globalbioticinteractions/bold Context: Area de Conservacion Guanacaste, Brasilia, Gallinazo · Sept. 11, 2011 · Material sample A published relationship says these two taxa were documented interacting. It does not say how often, or that it happens in this project's region.
Cercospora flagellaris Mycosphaerellaceae	is a host of	3	not compared
3 sources · 4 records Stevenson, J.A.. 1975. Fungi of Puerto Rico and the American Virgin Islands. Contr. Reed Herb. 23:743 Published in globalbioticinteractions/usda-fungus-host Record contexts (sample): Puerto Rico · no date published; Virgin Islands · no date published https://mycoportal.org/portal/collections/individual/index.php?occid=1340418 Published in globalbioticinteractions/mycoportal Context: Intercepted San Juan Puerto Rico #15774 · Aug. 6, 1961 · Preserved specimen https://mycoportal.org/portal/collections/individual/index.php?occid=1340419 Published in globalbioticinteractions/mycoportal Context: Intercepted San Juan Puerto Rico #15727 · July 23, 1961 · Preserved specimen A published relationship says these two taxa were documented interacting. It does not say how often, or that it happens in this project's region.
BOLD:AAA4641 Crambidae	is a host of	1	no location
1 source · 1 record http://bins.boldsystems.org/index.php/Public_RecordView?processid=BLPDV2880-18 Published in globalbioticinteractions/bold Context: no place published · no date published · Material sample A published relationship says these two taxa were documented interacting. It does not say how often, or that it happens in this project's region.

Showing 3 of 3, by number of studies

interacts with 1 organism

The authority declares no effect on this species for this term: neither that it harms it nor that it benefits it.

Organism	Reads as	Studies	Where it was documented	Actions
Spilomelinae Crambidae	interacts with	1	not compared	Not a modelling unit: the source publishes it at subfamily level.
1 source · 1 record https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/126033201 Published in globalbioticinteractions/inaturalist Context: no place published · July 13, 2022 · Human observation A published relationship says these two taxa were documented interacting. It does not say how often, or that it happens in this project's region.

Showing 1 of 1, by number of studies

interacts with 1 organism

The authority declares no effect on this species for this term: neither that it harms it nor that it benefits it.

Organism	Reads as	Studies	Where it was documented	Actions
Holarctic Azures Celastrina Lycaenidae	interacts with	1	not compared	Not a modelling unit: the source publishes it at genus level.
1 source · 1 record https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/276070839 Published in globalbioticinteractions/inaturalist Context: no place published · April 27, 2025 · Human observation A published relationship says these two taxa were documented interacting. It does not say how often, or that it happens in this project's region.

Showing 1 of 1, by number of studies

Flower visit

has its flowers visited by 1 organism

The authority declares no effect on this species for this term: neither that it harms it nor that it benefits it. Visiting a flower is not pollinating it. «Pollinates» is a different term and a different block, and merging the two is the measured defect that turned ~88 shared «pollinators» into birds and primates.

Organism	Reads as	Studies	Where it was documented	Actions
Euphoria basalis Scarabaeidae	has its flowers visited by	1	not compared
1 source · 1 record https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/60332435 Published in globalbioticinteractions/inaturalist Context: no place published · Sept. 21, 2020 · Human observation A published relationship says these two taxa were documented interacting. It does not say how often, or that it happens in this project's region.

Showing 1 of 1, by number of studies

Interaction data from Global Biotic Interactions (GloBI), GloBI 0.11. Each row keeps the citation its own study published.

Interactions are published at species level: they are not resolved by variety or race.

Each block is headed by the source's own term, read from this species' end — not by a category of ours. Two similar terms are not merged.

«Documented here» means the interaction was observed in this territory. It is not evidence that the species is here, and it does not enter the niche model.

Acompañantes documentados

This agronomic reading comes from a source reserved for internal use, so it is not shown here.

Documented uses and recommendations

Uses and recommendations that a source documents for this species beside a crop, each in its own context. They are the source's statements, not traits of the species and not Biolítica's recommendations, and none of them is a relation between two species.

Among the sources you can read, none documents a use or recommendation of this species beside a crop.