American Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana)
Common Name American Beautyberry
Latin Name Callicarpa americana
Family Lamiaceae
Native Yes
Zone 6A-10B
Height 5-9 Feet
Spread 5-9 Foot
Salt Water Tolerance Low
Salt Wind Tolerance Moderate
Drought Tolerance High
Soil Moist, well-drained sandy, limestone or organic soils
Sun Full Sun/Light Shade
Wildlife Attractant Butterflies and birds
Main Uses
A native to South Florida, Beautyberry can be a wonderful addition to your garden. Its beautiful purple fruit, large leaves, and shrub stature make it a great accent, filler, or buffer plant. It typically remains as wide as it is tall and can easily be trimmed back to keep it under control. The fruit attracts tons of wildlife, making the Beautyberry an amazing plant for butterfly gardens.
Appearance
The Beautyberry is a medium density shrub that stands 5-9 feet tall with a similar sized spread. It tolerates full sun and moderate shade. It flowers and fruits all year round, creating wonderful color and texture to your garden. The fruit is a dark purple and grows in clusters along the axils of the leaves. The flower is a nice shade of pink, with leaves ranging from 2-6 inches.
Its branches tend to arch outwards, creating a nice wide shrub. The Beautyberry is fast growing, so trimming the shrub back every so often gives it a chance to remain full and longer lasting. Due to its low salt tolerance, the Beautyberry is best planted in a hammock garden or coastal garden with buffer plants. Once established, it rarely needs supplemental water.
Wildlife Attractant
As mentioned above, the all year fruit and flower presence makes this shrub an amazing asset to your native garden. It is a nectar plant for butterflies, and a great food source for birds. Its bushy characteristic makes it a moderate cover for wildlife. Couple this plant with a nice bird bath or pond, and you have yourself a wonderful habitat for indigenous wildlife.
