Phytolacca acinosa

Phytolacca acinosa
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Phytolaccaceae
Genus:	Phytolacca
Species:	P. acinosa
Binomial name
Phytolacca acinosa Roxb.
Synonyms[1]
Phytolacca esculenta Van Houtte Phytolacca kaempferi A.Gray Phytolacca pekinensis Hance Pircunia esculenta (Van Houtte) Moq. Sarcoca acinosa (Roxb.) Skalický Sarcoca esculenta (Van Houtte) Skalický

Phytolacca acinosa, the Indian pokeweed, is a species of flowering plant in the family Phytolaccaceae.[2] It is native to temperate eastern Asia; the Himalayas, most of China, Vietnam to Japan, and has been widely introduced to Europe.[1] The species was originally described by William Roxburgh in 1814.[3][2]

Range

When the species was originally described it was considered a plant located to Nepal.[3] Currently, the plant is considered native to countries surrounding the Himalayas and introduced to large parts of Europe and parts of the United States (Wisconsin).[1]

Ecology

Indian pokeweed is a hyperaccumulator for manganese.[4][5]

Uses

As a wild food

The young shoots of Indian pokeweed are cooked and eaten by the Gurung people of western Nepal.[6] They are harvested in June and July.

Similar species (look-a-likes)

Due to overlap in diagnostic feature Phytolacca acinosa can be confused with Phytolacca americana, Phytolacca latbenia or Phytolacca polyandra.[7]

• 
  Phytolacca americana
• 
  Phytolacca polyandra

Natural products

Phytolacca acinosa is the source of four flavones,[8] four oleanane derivatives,[9] and six triterpenoid saponins.[10]

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

1. "Phytolacca acinosa Roxb". Plants of the World Online. Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
2. "Phytolacca acinosa Roxb". www.gbif.org. Retrieved 2021-06-11.
3. Carey, William, 1761-1834; Roxburgh, William, 1751-1815; Calcutta Royal Botanic Garden (1814), Hortus Bengalensis, or a Catalogue of the Plants Growing in the Hounourable East India Company's Botanical Garden at Calcutta (PDF), Wikidata Q16575978
4. Xue, S. G.; Chen, Y. X.; Reeves, Roger D.; Baker, Alan J. M.; Lin, Q.; Fernando, Denise R. (2004-10-01). "Manganese uptake and accumulation by the hyperaccumulator plant Phytolacca acinosa Roxb. (Phytolaccaceae)". Environmental Pollution. 131 (3): 393–399. doi:10.1016/J.ENVPOL.2004.03.011. PMID 15261402.
5. Xu, Xianghua; Shi, Jiyan; Chen, Yingxu; Chen, Xincai; Wang, Hui; Perera, Anton (2006-06-27). "Distribution and mobility of manganese in the hyperaccumulator plant Phytolacca acinosa Roxb. (Phytolaccaceae)". Plant and Soil. 285 (1–2): 323–331. doi:10.1007/S11104-006-9018-2.
6. Khakurel, Dhruba; Uprety, Yadav; Łuczaj, Łukasz; Rajbhandary, Sangeeta (2021-10-21). "Foods from the wild: Local knowledge, use pattern and distribution in Western Nepal". PLOS ONE. 16 (10): e0258905. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0258905. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 8530312. PMID 34673823.
7. "Phytolacca acinosa | Manual of the Alien Plants of Belgium". alienplantsbelgium.be. Retrieved 2021-07-24.
8. Xiao-Pan Ma; Wen-Fang Zhang; Ping Yi; Jun-Jie Lan; Bin Xia; Sai Jiang; Hua-Yong Lou; Wei-Dong Pan (30 September 2017). "Novel Flavones from the Root of Phytolacca acinosa Roxb". Chemistry and Biodiversity. 14 (12). doi:10.1002/CBDV.201700361. ISSN 1612-1872. PMID 28963759. Wikidata Q47894904.
9. T.K. Razdan; S. Harkar; V. Kachroo; G.L. Koul; E.S. Waight (January 1983). "Triterpenoids from Phytolacca acinosa, three oleanane derivatives". Phytochemistry. 22 (8): 1797–1800. doi:10.1016/S0031-9422(00)80274-5. ISSN 0031-9422. Wikidata Q104950731.
10. Jiao He; Jie Ma; Dao-Wan Lai; Yong-min Zhang; Wen-Ji Sun (October 2011). "A new triterpenoid saponin from the roots of Phytolacca acinosa". Natural Product Research. 25 (18): 1771–1775. doi:10.1080/14786419.2010.535155. ISSN 1478-6419. PMID 21827284. Wikidata Q45204476.