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Phytolacca decandra


Phytolacca decandra
Photo Information
Copyright: Raimundo Mesquita (mesquens) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 168 W: 9 N: 287] (2073)
Genre: Plants
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2008-02-23
Categories: Flowers
Camera: Panasonic Lumix DMC LZ7
Exposure: f/2.8, 1/160 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Theme(s): Herbs used in medicine II [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2008-02-25 1:40
Viewed: 5498
Points: 6
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note [Portuguese]
American Pokeweed (Phytolacca americana) is a large, shrubby perennial growing up to 10 feet in height native to eastern North America. Also known as American nightshade, cancer jalap, coakum, garget, inkberry, pigeon berry, pocan bush, poke root, pokeweed, redweed, scoke, red ink plant and chui xu shang lu (in Chinese medicine), parts of this plant are highly toxic to livestock and humans, and is considered a major pest plant by farmers. Nonetheless parts of the plant in different stages, can be used as food, medicine or poison. The plant has a large white taproot, green or red stems, and large, simple leaves. White flowers are followed by purple to almost black berries, which are a good food source for songbirds such as Northern Cardinal, Brown Thrasher, and Northern Mockingbird.

Scientific classification
Kingdom:Plantae
Division:Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Phytolaccaceae
Genus: Phytolacca
Species: P. americana
Binomial name Phytolacca americana
nirmalroberts, jpdenk, sily has marked this note useful
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Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To jpdenk: P. americanamesquens 1 02-26 13:53
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Critiques [Translate]

Hallo Raimundo
This is indeed a very special image. I was looking for something else on the site and came across this spectacular flower.I love the colour purple and thought that this was a very dark black /violet colour but realised it is actually more blackish. Anyhow this bunch of interesting blossom/berries really caught my eyes.Upon looking at it I was wondering if it was edible, and then read your note that it is highly toxic. It still looks very tempting. The details of this plant are stunning. You have presented this image in a favourable manner. Thanks for sharing.
Kind regards
Anna

Hi Raimundo,
Beautiful flower. Nice picture. TFS.
- Nirmal

Hi Raimundo,

Excellent photo! I like the cropped format, but I think it might look a bit better with a somewhat more traditional aspect ratio. Where I live, we have its close relative, P. americana, which looks very similar.

Thanks,
John

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