POKEWEED

POKEBERRY (from the

See also:

• AMERICAN

American-

See also:

• INDIAN

Indian pecan, applied to any plant yielding a red or yellow dye)  , in botany, the popular name of Phytolacca decandra, a strong-smelling perennial herb, a native of North America, with ovate-lanceolate sharp-pointed leaves, racemes of small greenish-white flowers and flattish berries nearly 'z in. in diameter, which contain a crimson juice . The young asparagus-like shoots are sometimes used as a pot-herb, but the roots are poisonous . The plant is often cultivated in Europe, and has become naturalized in the Mediterranean region .