| pokeweed family | |
noun | |
| chiefly tropical herbaceous plants (including shrubs and trees) with racemose flowers: genera Phytolacca, Agdestis, Ercilla, Rivina, Trichostigma [syn: Phytolaccaceae] |
pokeweed family
the pokeweed family of flowering plants, comprising 18 genera and 65 species of herbs, shrubs, and trees, mostly native to tropical and subtropical North America and Africa. Leaves are spiral, simple, and entire (i.e., smooth-edged). Flowers are typically arranged in branched or unbranched racemose inflorescences and are usually bisexual; the female part consists of one to many units, each with only a single ovule. The fruit is small and fleshy
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