Phytolacca americana is a herbaceous perennial in the pokeweed family, Phytolaccaceae. It produces oval to lance-shaped leaves, which develop attractive purple colouration in the autumn. The interesting flowers are white-pink in colour, these are produced on a triangular raceme structure. A raceme is a form of unbranched inflorescence where the oldest flowers are formed at the base and new blooms from the tip as the plant grows. Flowers appear from mid-summer to early autumn, leading onto red-black berry fruits in the autumn.