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Glite Dictionary
Phytolacca americana

Phytolacca americana

9.9
A tall North American plant with white flowers whose young shoots people cook but whose berries and roots are poisonous
  • noun
  • /ˌfaɪtəˈlækə əˈmɛrɪkən/
  • Specialized
translation icon : fitolaca americana
  • The berries of Phytolacca americana are a striking reddish-black and are highly toxic to humans.

Examples

  • Some people cook the young shoots of Phytolacca americana as a traditional spring green, known as poke salad.

  • Gardeners are advised to remove Phytolacca americana promptly because its berries can pose a danger to children and pets.

  • The Phytolacca americana grows in many gardens across the United States.

  • Have you ever seen a Phytolacca americana plant in the wild?

  • Gardeners are advised to remove Phytolacca americana promptly because its berries can pose a danger to children and pets.

  • Some people cook the young shoots of Phytolacca americana as a traditional spring green, known as poke salad.

  • The berries of Phytolacca americana are a striking reddish-black and are highly toxic to humans.

Synonyms

poke
vsPhytolacca americana
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A tall wild plant with white flowers and poisonous berries

is the formal botanical account rather than a short common name
pokeweed
vsPhytolacca americana
  • US
1 9.9

A tall wild plant with dark purple berries that are poisonous if eaten

gives specific edible stems and blackish red drooping berry clusters instead of only toxicity
scoke
vsPhytolacca americana
  • Archaic
9.9

A tall wild plant with white flowers whose young shoots you can eat but whose berries and roots are poisonous

is the species description rather than a traditional name
garget
vsPhytolacca americana
  • Specialized
9.9

A tall wild plant with small white flowers whose young shoots people eat but whose berries and roots are poisonous

is the botanical description, not just another folk name
pigeon berry
vsPhytolacca americana
  • US
9.9

A tall American plant with white flowers whose small dark fruits and roots are poisonous but young stems are edible

includes drooping cluster detail missing in the linked description

Surface Forms

Phytolacca americana singular
Phytolacca americanas plural

Morphology

Phytolacca + americana

This is a Latin binomial: 'Phytolacca' names the plant genus and 'americana' signals ‘of America’, so a learner who knows both constituents can infer it denotes an American species of Phytolacca (i.e. a plant). However, the detailed botanical properties in the dictionary definition (tall, coarse perennial; edible stems but poisonous berries/roots) are specialized information not predictable from the parts alone, making the transparency only partial.

Etymology

Phytolacca americana is a scientific name: Phytolacca may come from words for a 'plant' that gave a 'dark dye' from its shiny berries, and americana simply means 'from America'. So the name paints a simple picture of a North American plant with dark, shiny but 'poisonous' berries.