PHYTOLACCACEAE

the pokeweed family of flowering plants, comprising about 18 genera of herbs, shrubs, and trees, mostly native to tropical and subtropical North America and Africa. Leaves are alternate, simple and entire (i.e., smooth-edged). Flowers are typically arranged in spikes or panicles and are usually bisexual. These plants produce a small, fleshy nut. A family of the order Caryophyllales, Phytolaccaceae includes poke, or pokeweed (Phytolacca americana), a North American weed. The rouge plant (Rivina humilis), a shrub common to the southeastern United States, and Agdestis clematidea, a tuberous-rooted vine, are sometimes cultivated in warm regions.