This coastal variant of American pokeweed is native to the disturbed sands, tidal marsh margins, and roadsides of the southeastern United States, where it grows in conditions that would exhaust most herbaceous perennials. Smaller and less aggressively weedy than the straight species, it typically reaches 6 to 9 feet, though it is capable of twice that in favorable ground. The distinguishing trait — flowers and berries carried on upright stems above the foliage rather than drooping below — gives it a slightly more composed look than its inland relatives.