PHYTOLACCACEAE - Pokeweed Family
Mostly herbs with alternate, simple, entire leaves
Seed with perisperm, no endosperm
18 genera, 125 species
Most familiar North American taxon is Phytolacca
americana (Pokeweed)
This family has been broken up into a number of very small families,
which indicates there is a lot of diversity in it.
Economic uses - poke salad (toxic if not prepared correctly),
consumption was once considered by many to be for the "lower
classes," it was offered in some yuppie restaurants for a short
period of time.
Medicinal uses - Phytolacca americana has had a wide range of
medicinal uses but all parts of the plant are poisonous, plant juice
can cause dermatitis.
Diagnostic characters: simple, entire leaves, dark blue fruits
(Phytolacca)
IMAGE GALLERY
FLOWERING
PLANT GATEWAY
