Sour-bush Callicarpa americana
Other Common Name(s):
Previously known as:
- Callicarpa americana var. alba
- Callicarpa americana var. lactea
- Callicarpa americana var. purpurea
- Callicarpa serrata
- Callicarpa vibrunifolia
- Phonetic Spelling
- kal-ee-KAR-puh a-mer-ih-KAY-nah
- Description
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The American beautyberry is a woody, deciduous, perennial shrub that produces showy purple fruits in the fall. It is a member of the Lamiaceae (mint) family and is native to the central and southeastern United States, Bermuda, and Cuba.
The shrub prefers full sun to part shade and is intolerant of deep shade. It will grow in all types of soil provided there is good drainage. Allow 3 to 6 feet of space for planting unless regular pruning is done. Pruning is best done in late winter. Prune low and avoid fertilizer to reduce height and fruit set. It is recommended that old canes be removed for rejuvenation of the shrub because the flowers and fruits appear on new shoots. It can be propagated by seeds or stem cuttings.
Beautyberry’s native habitat is open meadows, thickets, woodlands and margins of ponds, ditches and streams. In the spring, green leaves emerge on upright arching stems. Clusters of small flowers bloom on the stems during the late spring and early summer. Clusters of purplish to bluish berries develop August through October and encircle the stem. A pink-fruited and several white-fruited forms have been found. The fruits may last through early winter. They are a good food source for songbirds and small mammals. The leaves, when crushed, produce a chemical that can repel mosquitos, ticks, and fire ants.
This shrub is suited for mass plantings, large landscapes, naturalized areas, pond margins and container gardening. They seem to produce more fruit if several more of the same type of shrubs are planted nearby. American beautyberry is also at home in a butterfly garden, children’s garden, native garden, pollinator garden, and winter garden.
This plant was selected as the 2021 NC Wildflower of the Year, a program managed by the North Carolina Botanical Garden with some financial support from the Garden Club of North Carolina.
Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No significant problems.
VIDEO: Part of the Native Plant Picks series from the North Carolina Sea Grant-led Coastal Landscapes Initiative.
Additional video for Callicarpa americana created by Andy Pulte for “Landscape Plant Identification, Taxonomy and Morphology” a plant identification course offered by the Department of Plant Sciences, University of Tennessee.
- Profile Video:
- See this plant in the following landscapes:
- Pinehurst Greenway Pollinator Habitat Garden, Moore County Asian Garden - Zen Garden Pollinator Garden at the Cabarrus County Extension Office HOA Butterfly Garden in Brunswick County Extension Master Gardener℠ Demonstration Garden, Durham Co. West Side Foundation Planting in Cabarrus County Native Woodland Garden, Durham Border Landscape Pinewild County Club, Moore County
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- 'Alba'
White berries - 'Lactea'
White berries and attractive foliage - 'Russell Montgomery'
White berries
'Welch's Pink'
Pink berries - 'Alba'
- 'Alba', 'Lactea', 'Russell Montgomery', 'Welch's Pink'
- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
-
- 'Alba'
White berries - 'Lactea'
White berries and attractive foliage - 'Russell Montgomery'
White berries
'Welch's Pink'
Pink berries - 'Alba'
- 'Alba', 'Lactea', 'Russell Montgomery', 'Welch's Pink'
- Tags:
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-
Attributes:
- Genus:
- Callicarpa
- Species:
- americana
- Family:
- Lamiaceae
- Uses (Ethnobotany):
- Native Americans use the roots, leaves, and branches to treat malaria and rheumatism. The roots are also used to treat dizziness and dysentery. In the past, U.S. farmers crushed the leaves and placed them under the harnesses of their horses and mules to repel mosquitoes. The Agricultural Research Service has found that two compounds in the leaves, callicarpenal, and intermedeol, act as a mosquito repellant.
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Woody
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Seed
- Stem Cutting
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Central and Southeastern United States, Bermuda, and Cuba
- Distribution:
- AL, AR, Bahamas, Bermuda, Cuba, FL, GA, KY, LA, MD, MS, MO, NC, northern Mexico, OK, SC, TN, TX, VA
- Fire Risk Rating:
- low flammability
- Wildlife Value:
- The shrub's clusters of berries are a food source for many songbirds, including the American Robin, Brown Thrasher, Purple Finch, and Eastern Towhee. The berries are also consumed by armadillos, foxes, opossum, raccoons, and squirrels. White-tailed deer are known to browse on the leaves in the summer and enjoy the fruits after leaf drops in the fall.
- Play Value:
- Edible fruit
- Wildlife Food Source
- Particularly Resistant To (Insects/Diseases/Other Problems):
- Deer and rabbit resistant
- Edibility:
- While insipid, the berries are edible and are most often used to make jelly.
- Dimensions:
- Height: 3 ft. 0 in. - 8 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 3 ft. 0 in. - 6 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Native Plant
- Perennial
- Shrub
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Habit/Form:
- Arching
- Erect
- Open
- Growth Rate:
- Medium
- Maintenance:
- Low
- Texture:
- Medium
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture:
- Clay
- High Organic Matter
- Loam (Silt)
- Sand
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Alkaline (>8.0)
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Moist
- Occasionally Dry
- Available Space To Plant:
- 3 feet-6 feet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Blue
- Purple/Lavender
- Fruit Value To Gardener:
- Edible
- Showy
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Fall
- Fruit Type:
- Berry
- Fruit Length:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Width:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Description:
- The fruits are clusters of small bluish to purplish berries that form a whorl and encircle the stems. They appear in August through October and may last through the winter. They are a valuable food source for songbirds and small mammals. Each berry is about 1/4 inch long with 2 to 4 seeds. Each seed measures about 1/16 inch long. They are edible to humans but have very little flavor.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Blue
- Pink
- Purple/Lavender
- White
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Cyme
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Summer
- Flower Size:
- < 1 inch
- Flower Description:
- The flowers emerge in clusters late spring to early summer on the new growth of the shrub where the leaves meet the stem. It gives them the appearance that they are surrounding the branch. The blooms may be blue, violet, pink, or white in color. They bloom in cymes at axils from June through July to add a little summer color to the landscape.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Leaf Value To Gardener:
- Fragrant
- Deciduous Leaf Fall Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Opposite
- Leaf Shape:
- Elliptical
- Ovate
- Leaf Margin:
- Serrate
- Hairs Present:
- Yes
- Leaf Length:
- 3-6 inches
- Leaf Width:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Description:
- The leaves emerge in the spring on long arching stems. They are medium green in color, simple, ovate to elliptical in shape, and appear opposite in arrangement. The tip of the leaf is pointed or blunt, and the base is tapered. The margins are saw-toothed or serrated, and the undersides of the leaf may be covered with wooly hairs. They are usually 3 ½ - 6" in length and about half as wide. In the fall the leaves turn pale chartreuse before dropping from the shrub
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Bark:
- Bark Color:
- Light Brown
- Red/Burgundy
- Surface/Attachment:
- Smooth
- Bark Description:
- The bark color on the older wood is light brown, but the young wood appears reddish-brown. The bark is smooth, but corky ridges are seen.
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Gray/Silver
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Cross Section:
- Square
- Stem Form:
- Straight
- Stem Surface:
- Hairy (pubescent)
- Stem Description:
- The stems are long, slender, and arching. They may be rounded to four-sided. They appear gray to reddish in color and may be covered with very fine hairs.
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Container
- Naturalized Area
- Pond
- Recreational Play Area
- Riparian
- Landscape Theme:
- Butterfly Garden
- Children's Garden
- Edible Garden
- Native Garden
- Pollinator Garden
- Rain Garden
- Winter Garden
- Design Feature:
- Border
- Mass Planting
- Specimen
- Attracts:
- Butterflies
- Pollinators
- Small Mammals
- Songbirds
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Deer
- Drought
- Dry Soil
- Heat
- Rabbits
- Wet Soil
