PLANT: rees, shrubs, or perennial herbs. LEAVES: petiolate, glabrous, the apices acute. INFLORESCENCE: terminal or axillary. FLOWERS: bracteate; calyx deeply lobed; stamens in ours 8-10(-12), in one cycle; ovary in ours with 8-10 united carpels. FRUITS: in ours berries. SEEDS: lens-shaped, black and shiny. NOTES: 3-4 spp. in the U.S.; ca. 20 spp. in temperate and tropical regions. (Greek phyto = plant + Latin lacca = crimson lake, referring to the fruit color). REFERENCES: Steinmann, Victor. 2001. Phytolaccaceae. J. Ariz. – Nev. Acad. Sci. Volume 33(1).