American Nightshade

Phytolacca americana is a perennial plant in the Phytolaccaceae family, known for its toxicity. It is distributed across Açores, Madeira, Portugal, and other locations. The plant features green to red or purplish stems, simple leaves, and a large white taproot. Its flowers are green to white, and the berries that follow undergo a color change from red to purple to nearly black. These berries are consumed by birds such as the gray catbird, northern mockingbird, northern cardinal, and brown thrasher, as well as some small non-avian animals. The plant was first described in 1753 by Linnaeus. Typification of the species has been discussed in botanical literature, with Larsen's designation of a Clifford sheet (BM) as lectotype being accepted.