American Beautyberry

Callicarpa americana

Beautyberry produces the most outrageously vivid berries in the plant kingdom — clusters of electric magenta-purple fruits that encircle bare stems in fall and winter. The color is so intense it looks artificial. Nothing else in nature produces this shade of purple. Birds devour them. A native shrub that deserves a spot in every garden.

Hardiness Zones

5-8

Sunlight

Partial Sun

Water Needs

Moderate

Maintenance

Low

Mature Size

4-6 ft H × 4-6 ft W

Growth Rate

Fast

Bloom Season

Summer (tiny pink flowers)

Bloom Color

Electric magenta-purple berry clusters (fall-winter)

Care Guide

Plant in partial shade to full sun. Can be cut to the ground in late winter for vigorous new growth (blooms on new wood). Any moist, well-drained soil. Virtually no pests. Self-seeds moderately. The berries are technically edible (make jelly) but are mainly ornamental. Stunning in fall arrangements.

Landscape Uses

Fall/winter interestWoodland gardensBird gardensSpecimen shrubNative plantings

Best Growing Regions

southeastnortheastmidwest

Great Companion Plants

Dogwood

AzaleaRhododendron spp.

Nandina

Ferns

Ornamental Grasses

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