Phytolacca rivinoides aka Venezuelan Pokeweed

Phytolacca rivinoides belongs to the pokeweed family, Phytolaccaceae. It is a perennial: it lives for more than two years. Its native range starts in Mexico. It spans much of tropical America. This includes Central America, the Caribbean, and parts of South America. Useful Tropical Plants lists Argentina, Brazil, and Peru in its range. Kew places it in the wet tropical biome. It grows wild and in places where people grow some plants.

The plant scrambles or climbs, and its base turns woody. Kew calls it a perennial or shrub. Useful Tropical Plants gives a height of about 13 feet [4 metres]. It lists shoots up to 16 feet [5 metres] long. Shoot length is not the same as upright height. Its long stems make it a climber, not a tree-like plant. The sources give no mature spread.

In the wild, it grows in damp thickets and wet forests. It grows on open ground where plant cover has changed. Such sites include new growth among moist and wet evergreen plants. In Guatemala, records reach about 8,530 feet [2,600 metres] above sea level. Other cited habitat records reach about 4,265 feet [1,300 metres]. These records show where it grows in the wild. They do not show tested garden hardiness. The evidence gives no frost limit or hardiness zone.

Flowers may appear at any time of year. It can cross with Phytolacca rugosa where their ranges meet. The species account gives no flower colour or fruit shape. Useful Tropical Plants cites garden sources that value it for looks. The Yanomami grow it near Amazonian villages for use in folk medicine. The source lists seed as the way to grow new plants. It gives no detailed steps for sowing or garden care.

Records describe the use of cooked leaves and young shoots as vegetables. The roots contain saponins and have served in place of soap. Folk uses include root and fruit juice to purge the bowels. People have used leaf mixes to wash hair and skin. Other records concern diabetes, fever, and several serious illnesses. These reports describe folk practices, not proof that the treatments work. Useful Tropical Plants lists no known hazards for this species. This does not mean each plant part or way of preparing it is safe.