Each year in late summer and fall, beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) catches my eye and reminds me of its fantastic fruit display. This near-native shrub hails from the southern U.S. and is commonly planted in the Illinois landscape. Its name is quite appropriate as the bright purple berries hold attractive beauty well into the winter season.
As summer fades to fall, dense clusters of metallic-purple fruit mature along stems, encircling them at each leaf axil. Berries ripen from inner locations to the tips, creating a wonderful contrast between green berries on branch tips and mature, purple berries along lower stems before the entire crop matures sometime in October.
I often think of mid-October as the peak ornamental period for this plant. Its fall color ranges from yellow to almost purple and slowly creeps in as the berries arrive at full maturity. The contrasting colors between foliage and fruits put on a display that is nearly unmatched in the fall.
In the landscape, beautyberry is a performer, flourishing in a wide range of soil conditions and tolerating full sun to nearly full shade. It is most at home in well-drained soils with a substantial amount of organic matter, but tolerates everything from clay to sand. Fruit development is best in full sun, but even in partial shade, this plant will produce a noteworthy display.
Perhaps its biggest weakness in the Illinois landscape is the cold. This plant is hardy from Zone 6 all the way down to Zone 12, with a native range that encompasses swaths of northern Mexico and the Caribbean. Similar to other less-hardy woody plants, like butterfly bush (Buddleja spp.), it’s known to die back to the ground in Zone 5, or even in Zone 6 during harsh winters. However, this resilient plant produces berries on new wood, so any winter dieback does not impact the following year’s berry crop.
Beautyberry is typically a smaller shrub, reaching about 5-6 feet tall at maturity, although I have seen some older specimens on the right site reach 8-10 feet of height. The branching habit of this plant is also a major ornamental attribute, with gently arching stems that create a shrub canopy equally wide as tall. Its fine-textured leaves and dense clusters of berries are the icing on the cake.
While this plant can work well as a specimen when grouped with other contrasting plants, I think I have enjoyed it most when planted in large groups or along borders. The cumulative effect of abundant purple berry clusters this time of year is truly a showstopper. Its graceful, arching branch habit simply creates the perfect frame for clustered, purple berries.
Beyond its use in the landscape, beautyberry has long been used as a medicinal plant, with records of Native American use spanning the ages. In recent years, scientific research has explored many of the historic uses as well as some newer found applications.
Historic records point to beautyberry being used a natural insect repellent for both humans and livestock. Many accounts note that simply rubbing leaves on skin will repel mosquitoes and recent research has uncovered up to 5 chemical compounds that are responsible for their mosquito-repelling qualities.
In addition, other compounds isolated from beautyberry have been found to boost antibiotics when taken in tandem. These compounds are being studied for use in fighting “superbugs” that develop resistance to typical antibiotics. In addition, some research is pointing toward the potential for other compounds in beautyberry to be used as antiviral treatments.
Historically, plants in the genus Callicarpa, meaning “beautiful fruit” in Greek, have been used to treat a variety of ailments, from fever, headache and indigestion to several types of cancer. In recent decades, significant research efforts have explored more and more about the chemical compounds these plants produce and their uses.
Whether you are interested in finding the next cure for cancer or simply planting an attractive shrub for fall time, beautyberry has a lot to offer. Consider adding this plant to your landscape for a splash of purple berries that extend into the winter months.
Ryan Pankau is horticulture extension educator with University of Illinois Extension serving Champaign, Ford, Iroquois and Vermilion counties.
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