FNPS Plant Database
Callicarpa americana
American beautyberry
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Nomenclature
Common Name:
American beautyberry
Synonym(s):
Genus species:
Callicarpa americana
Family:
Lamiaceae (Labiatae)
Plant Specifics
Form:
shrub
Size:
4-8 ft tall by 3-6 ft wide
Life Span:
long-lived perennial
Flower Color:
white, pink
Fruit Color:
magenta or white
Phenology:
deciduous to the north, evergreen in the south; blooms spring-fall
Noted For:
Landscaping
Recommended Uses:
Specimen plant, mass planting, casual shrub screen
Considerations:
Cut back in winter to encourage blooming and good form.
Availability:
Propagation:
seed
Light:
Moisture Tolerance:
Always Flooded------------------------------------------------Extremely Dry
Usually moist, occasional inundation ---to--- Somewhat long very dry periods
Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:
Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water
Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:
Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray
Soil or Other Substrate:
Loam, Sand
Soil pH:
adaptable
Suitable to Grow In:
8A, 8B, 9A, 9B, 10A, 10B, 11
USDA zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature.

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Ecology
Wildlife:
Many bird species consume the fruit. including catbirds, mockinbirds, and robins.
Larval host for for spring azure butterflies and snowberry clearwing moths.
Attracts various pollinators, especially bees. Documented bees include Agapostemon splendens, Augochlora pura, Dialictus placidensis, Halictus ligatus, Megachile brevis pseudobrevis and the non-native Apis mellifera (honeybee) (Deyrup et al. 2002).
Native Habitats:
Dry mesic hardwoods, xeric hammock, scrubby flatwoods, flatwoods, disturbed dry-moist woods.
Natural Range in Florida:
Visit the USF Libraries Atlas of Florida Plants
Comments:
Ethnobotany:
Sometimes used to make jelly which is noted for its color.
There are three chemicals in the leaves that may be as effective as DEET as an insect repellant (Cantrell et al. 2005; Cantrell & Klun 2011). One, callicarpenal, apparently deters biting by the yellow-fever mosquito and the mosquito that spreads malaria. Callicarpenal and other compounds isolated from the plant also repell fire ants and ticks.
General Comments:
Fruits are magenta. There is a white-fruited/white-flowered variety, uncommonly found naturally in Florida, that is sold occasionally.
Citations:
Cantrell C.L., J.A. Klun, C.T. Bryson, M. Kobaisy M., and S.O. Duke. 2005. Isolation and identification of mosquito bite deterrent terpenoids from leaves of American ( Callicarpa americana ) and Japanese ( Callicarpa japonica ) beautyberry. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 2005 Jul 27;53(15):5948-53. doi: 10.1021/jf0509308. PMID: 16028979.
Cantrell, C.L., and J.A. Klun. 2011. Callicarpenal and Intermedeol: Two Natural Arthropod Feeding Deterrent and Repellent Compounds Identified from the Southern Folk Remedy Plant, Callicarpa americana. In: Paluch, G.E., Coats, J.R., editors. Recent Developments in Invertebrate Repellents. Volume 1090. Washington, DC: American Chemical Society. p. 47-58.
Deyrup, Mark, Jayanthi Edirisinghe, and Beth Jayanthi. 2002. The diversity and floral hosts of bees at the Archbold Biological Station, Florida (Hymenoptera: Apoidea). 16.
Huegel, Craig N. 2010. Native Plant Landscaping for Florida Wildlife. University Press of Florida , Gainesville.
Nelson, Gil. 2003. Florida's Best Landscape Plants: 200 Readily Available Species for Homeowners and Professionals. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.
