Inkberry

Last updated April 09, 2019

Inkberry is a common name for several unrelated plants:

Plants are mainly multicellular, predominantly photosynthetic eukaryotes of the kingdom Plantae. Historically, plants were treated as one of two kingdoms including all living things that were not animals, and all algae and fungi were treated as plants. However, all current definitions of Plantae exclude the fungi and some algae, as well as the prokaryotes. By one definition, plants form the clade Viridiplantae, a group that includes the flowering plants, conifers and other gymnosperms, ferns and their allies, hornworts, liverworts, mosses and the green algae, but excludes the red and brown algae.

Any plant in the genus Phytolacca (pokeweeds)
- Especially Phytolacca americana (American Pokeweed)
Dianella nigra (Turutu in Māori, New Zealand blueberry)
Ilex glabra (Evergreen Winterberry)
Ilex verticillata (American Winterberry)
Scaevola plumieri (Beachberry), species of Scaevola (plant)

A genus is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, as well as viruses, in biology. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclature, the genus name forms the first part of the binomial species name for each species within the genus.

Phytolacca is a genus of perennial plants native to North America, South America and East Asia. Some members of the genus are known as pokeweeds or similar names such as pokebush, pokeberry, pokeroot or poke sallet. Other names for species of Phytolacca include inkberry and ombú. The generic name is derived from the Greek word φυτόν (phyton), meaning "plant," and the Latin word lacca, a red dye. Phytolaccatoxin and phytolaccigenin are present in many species which are poisonous to mammals if not cooked properly. However, the berries are eaten by birds, which are not affected by the toxin because the small seeds with very hard outer shells remain intact in the digestive system and are eliminated whole.

Phytolacca americana, also known as American pokeweed, pokeweed, poke sallet, or poke salad, is a poisonous, herbaceous perennial plant in the pokeweed family Phytolaccaceae growing up to 8 ft (2.4m) in height. It has simple leaves on green to red or purplish stems and a large white taproot. The flowers are green to white, followed by purple to almost black berries which are a food source for songbirds such as gray catbird, northern mockingbird, northern cardinal, and brown thrasher, as well as other birds and some small animals.

This page is an index of articles on plant species (or higher taxonomic groups) with the same common name (vernacular name). If an internal link led you here, you may wish to edit the linking article so that it links directly to the intended article.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

Related Research Articles

Ilex verticillata, the winterberry, is a species of holly native to eastern North America in the United States and southeast Canada, from Newfoundland west to Ontario and Minnesota, and south to Alabama.

Phytolacca dioica, commonly known as ombú, is a massive evergreen tree native to the Pampa of South America. It has an umbrella-like canopy that spreads to a diameter of 12 to 15 meters and can attain a height of 12 to 18 meters. Because it is derived from herbaceous ancestors, its trunk consists of anomalous secondary thickening rather than true wood. As a result, the ombú grows fast but its wood is soft and spongy enough to be cut with a knife. These properties have led it to be used in the art of bonsai, as it is easily manipulated to create the desired effect. Since the sap is poisonous, the ombú is not grazed by cattle and is immune to locusts and other pests. For similar reasons, the leaves are sometimes used as a laxative or purgative. It is a symbol of Uruguay and Argentina, and of gaucho culture, as its canopy is quite distinguishable from afar and provides comfort and shelter from sun and rain.

Phytolacca icosandra, sometimes known as button pokeweed or tropical pokeweed, is a species of flowering plant found in the neotropics and introduced into the warmer areas of the western USA.

Ilex mucronata, the mountain holly or catberry, is a species of holly native to eastern North America, from Newfoundland west to Minnesota, and south to Maryland and West Virginia.

Phytolaccaceae is a family of flowering plants. Such a family has been almost universally recognized by taxonomists, although its circumscription has varied. It is also known as the Pokeweed family.

Pokeweed mitogen is a mitogen derived from Phytolacca americana. It functions as a lectin.

Taplitumomab paptox is a mouse monoclonal antibody designed for the treatment of cancer. The antibody itself, taplitumomab, is linked to the protein PAP, an antiviral from Phytolacca americana, a species of pokeweed. This is reflected by the 'paptox' in the drug's name.

Ilex glabra, also known as Appalachian tea, dye-leaves, evergreen winterberry, gallberry, and inkberry, is a species of evergreen holly native to the coastal plain of eastern North America, from coastal Nova Scotia to Florida and west to Louisiana where it is most commonly found in sandy woods and peripheries of swamps and bogs. Ilex glabra is often found in landscapes of the middle and lower East Coast. It typically matures to 5–8 ft (1.5–2.4 m) tall, and can spread by root suckers to form colonies. It normally is cultivated as an evergreen shrub in USDA zones 6 to 10.

Swamp holly is a common name for several hollies and may refer to:

Ilex, or holly, is a genus of about 480 species of flowering plants in the family Aquifoliaceae, and the only living genus in that family. The species are evergreen or deciduous trees, shrubs, and climbers from tropics to temperate zones worldwide.

Astragalin is a chemical compound. It can be isolated from Phytolacca americana or in the methanolic extract of fronds of the fern Phegopteris connectilis. It is also found in wine.

Ilex laevigata (Pursh) A. Gray, commonly referred to as smooth winterberry, is a plant species in the Aquifoliaceae. It is native to the eastern coastal United States.

Phytolacca sandwicensis, also known as Hawai'i pokeweed, is a member of the Phytolaccaceae family and is a flowering and fruit bearing species endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. Locally it is referred to as pōpolo kū mai.

Phytolacca pruinosa, the Levantine pokeweed, is a species of plant in the Phytolaccaceae family. It is a perennial bearing green flowers which become red on maturity. Fruits are black berries.

Phytolacca japonica is a species of flowering plant in the pokeweed family (Phytolaccaceae). It native to eastern Asia, where it is found in China and Japan. Its natural habitat is in forests edges, in ravines and along riversides.