Pokeweed or Milkweed?: How to Tell the Difference

Common plant names can be confusing, especially when you have Pokeweed and Poke Milkweed which look and sound alike but are not in the same plant family and serve very different uses.
Most importantly, Pokeweed is NOT a food source for Monarchs but Poke Milkweed IS. 
To lessen the confusion, always go by the plant's scientific name. A scientific name is made up of two words. The first word indicates the plant genus and the second name indicates the plant species. For instance, let's take Asclepias tuberosa, or Butterfly Milkweed, and see what the name tells us. Asclepias is the genus that ALL milkweeds are in. Tuberosa indicates the species of milkweed within that genus.
Phytolacca americana, also known as American Pokeweed, is in the genus Phytolacca and the species is americana. 
Now that we are all on the same page, we will show you other ways to tell these plants apart. 

A method I like to use when identifying plants is called the Patterns Method which is demonstrated by Thomas J. Elpel in his book Botany in a Day (which I highly recommend).  The image above shows you characteristics of plants within the Milkweed, or Asclepias, family.

Flowers of Pokeweed

The following photos will show you differences between Pokeweed and Poke Milkweed.

American Pokeweed (Phytolacca americana).

Fruits of Pokeweed

As the fruits on Pokeweed ripen, the stem turns a bright reddish pink and the berries turn black.

Flowers of Poke Milkweed

Poke Milkweed has downward facing petals and the inflorescence (flower head) is more round rather than tubular.

Milkweed Fruits or Pods

Milkweeds do not have berries like Pokeweed but large pods that contain seeds. 

American Pokeweed does not have petals that face downwards like many milkweeds do.

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CAUTION: The berries of Pokeweed are extremely toxic and some people develop skin irritation just from touching the berries. Always use gloves when handling. These berries also provide a food source for songbirds who have immunity to the toxin. 

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Close-up image of Poke Milkweed