Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana)
Grow your own natural mosquito repellent! American Beautyberry is a wonderful, large fast-growing under story shrub with a naturally loose and graceful arching form. In the fall and early winter, the branches are laden with magenta purple (sometimes white) berry clusters that look spectacular as the leaves drop in autumn.
The American Beautyberry is native to the Southeastern United States, from Texas to Virginia, and is beloved by wildlife across the region, from native birds to deer, for whom it is an important source of protein and moisture. Although all parts of the Beautyberry plant are useful, from the berries to roots, the flowering shrub is most commonly cultivated for it's leaves, at least here in Florida, as a mosquito repellent. Beautyberry plants grow wild alongside shady oak hammock trails and in the summer, we've been known to harvest during our hike and carry it along with us to keep the mosquitoes at bay.
American beautyberry is also known as French Mulberry, Sourbush, Bunchberry, or Purple beauty-berry. In Greek, the genus name Callicarpa means callos, “beauty” and carpos “fruit”.
Plant Type:
Perennial Deciduous Herb
Harvest Season:
Fall, Winter
Beautyberry blooms from late spring to mid-summer (May, June, July) and produces beautiful clusters of magenta berries from fall to early winter
Mature Size:
On average, Beautyberry grows 3-6 ft tall and 4-6 ft wide. In the right conditions it can reach heights of 10 ft by 8 ft.
It can be cut to 12" above the base each winter to encourage more compact growth, flowers and fruit. It can also be left to mature naturally into a tall woody shrub.
Soil & Moisture:
Moist, well-draining soil. Beautyberry is native to the Southeastern United States, from Texas to West Virginia, and is suitable for many different growing conditions.
Light Requirements:
Part Shade, Shade
Self-Fertile:
Yes
Growth Rate:
Fast
Zone Hardiness:
Outdoors 5-10; Patio/Greenhouse 4+
The shrub may temporarily defoliate and lose developing fruit during periods of prolonged summer drought
