Dreamcatcher Alpacas
Plant safety · Toxic

Is Pokeweed Poisonous to Alpacas?

Pokeweed (Phytolacca americana) — a weed. Here is what alpaca owners need to know.

Updated 2026-10-02By the Dreamcatcher Alpacas editorial team
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Yes — pokeweed is toxic to alpacas.

Keep it out of pastures, hay and reach of fences, and never feed trimmings.

Pokeweed (Phytolacca americana)
Pokeweed (Phytolacca americana). Photo: Huw Williams (Huwmanbeing), Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.
Status
Toxic
Scientific name
Phytolacca americana
Family
Phytolaccaceae
Plant type
Weed
Also known as
Poke salad, virginian pokeweed, Scoke, Redweed, Red Ink Plant, Poke Root
Toxic parts
Roots most toxic; leaves and berries
Toxic compound
Saponins (phytolaccatoxin) and lectins

Why it matters

Tall magenta-stemmed weed of fence rows and woodland edges.

Signs of pokeweed poisoning in alpacas

  • Drooling
  • Loss of appetite
  • Diarrhea
  • Colic or abdominal discomfort
  • Bloody diarrhea in large amounts
  • Weakness

Signs can appear within minutes (cyanide, cardiac toxins) or only after weeks of exposure (liver toxins). Many poisoned camelids are simply found dead, so prevention is everything.

What to do if your alpaca ate pokeweed

  1. Move the herd away and remove any remaining plant material, clippings or fallen leaves.
  2. Call your veterinarian immediately, even if the alpaca looks normal. Say what was eaten, roughly how much and when.
  3. Bring a sample or clear photo of the plant to help identification.
  4. Do not give home remedies, oils or try to make the alpaca vomit unless your vet tells you to.
  5. Keep the animal quiet, in shade or shelter, with water available. Write down the time and every symptom you see.
  6. Check every other alpaca that had access, then remove the plant permanently (including roots).

Emergency: call your veterinarian immediately. If you cannot reach them, contact an animal poison control service (in the U.S., the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center or Pet Poison Helpline; fees may apply). Bring a sample or photo of the plant.

About the plant

Phytolacca americana, also known as American pokeweed, pokeweed, polk salad, poke sallet, pokeberry, dragonberries, pigeonberry weed, and inkberry, is a poisonous, herbaceous, perennial plant in the pokeweed family Phytolaccaceae. This pokeweed grows 1 to 3 metres. It has simple leaves on green to red or purplish stems and a large, white taproot. The flowers are green to white, followed by berries, which ripen through red to purple to almost black and are a food source for songbirds such as gray catbird, northern mockingbird, northern cardinal, and brown thrasher, as well as other birds and some small nonavian animals.From Wikipedia — “Phytolacca americana”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Where it grows

GBIF, the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, holds 211,931 recorded observations of Phytolacca americana L. worldwide, including 123,124 in the United States. It belongs to the Phytolaccaceae family. See the occurrence map on GBIF.

Frequently asked questions

Is pokeweed poisonous to alpacas?
Yes. Yes — pokeweed is toxic to alpacas. Tall magenta-stemmed weed of fence rows and woodland edges.
What part of pokeweed is toxic to alpacas?
Roots most toxic; leaves and berries.
What are the symptoms of pokeweed poisoning?
Drooling, loss of appetite, diarrhea, colic or abdominal discomfort, bloody diarrhea in large amounts and weakness.
Is dried pokeweed safe?
Drying does not reliably make poisonous plants safe. Treat dried leaves and contaminated hay with the same caution.

Keeping pastures safe

  • Walk every paddock and fence line each season and remove toxic plants, including roots.
  • Never throw garden, hedge or lawn clippings over the fence.
  • Check pastures after storms for fallen branches (cherry, red maple).
  • Buy hay from known sources and inspect it for weeds.
  • Keep pastures well managed — hungry alpacas eat plants they would normally avoid.

Browse the full toxic plant checker, the printable list of poisonous plants and the list of safe plants.

This page is educational and does not replace advice from a veterinarian who has examined your animals. Camelid medicine uses many drugs “extra-label”, so dosing must come from your vet. In an emergency, call your vet first. Read our disclaimer · How we write and review content.

Data: plant status compiled from veterinary toxicology references (see sources); taxonomy and occurrences from GBIF; identifiers from Wikidata Q157853.