Phytolacca sandwicensis

Description:

Ppolo k mai or Hawaiian pokeweedPhytolaccaceae (Pokeweed family)Endemic to the Hawaiian Islands (Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Maui, and Hawaii Island)Photo: Kpukapuala, Hawaii IslandHabitwww.flickr.com/photos/dweickhoff/5516133703/in/datetaken-...Early Hawaiians used the dark purple berries of ppolo k mai as a tattoo dye.EtymologyThe generic name Phytolacca is Greek for plant dye, referring to the sap of the fruit.The species name sandwicensis refers to the "Sandwich Islands," as the Hawaiian Islands were once called, and named by James Cook on one of his voyages in the 1770s. James Cook named the islands after John Montagu (The fourth Earl of Sandwich) for supporting Cook's voyages.nativeplants.hawaii.edu/plant/view/Phytolacca_sandwicensis