Beauty Berry

Callicarpa americana

Size: 1 & 3 Gallon Availability

Shrub
Max size: 8’ tall x 6’ wide
Average size: 7′ tall x 5′ wide

Usually Moist, Moist to Dry, Very Dry
Loam, Sand, Clay
Sun, Part Shade
Tolerant of low amounts of salt spray

AKA: French Mulberry, Sour-bush, Bear Raisin, Bunchberry, Foxberry, Turkeyberry, Dwarf Mulberry

This evergreen shrub blooms in the spring with white or pink flowers. It gets edible fruits that mature in the late summer, which are bright magenta or white, and grow in clusters. These berries can be used to make jelly and simple syrup. To encourage blooming and a less wild shape, it can be cut back in the winter. The berries only produce on new growth. These berries are enjoyed by many birds, including catbirds, mockingbirds, and robins. It is a larval host for spring azure butterflies and snowberry clearwing moths. It also attracts various pollinators, especially bees.  Documented bees include Agapostemon splendens, Augochlora pura, Dialictus placidensis, Halictus ligatus, Megachile brevis pseudobrevis, and the none-native Apis mellifera (honeybee). The wood is considered wind resistant.

The oils from the leaves can be used to make an insect repellent. These same oils make the stems a good fuel for campfires, as they have the added benefit of being a mosquito deterrent. If you are camping, the textured leaves can make a good scrub cloth. It has various ethnobotanical uses, including healing internal hemorrhage, constipation, and more; root decoctions in particular have been shown to have antiviral activity.