Beautyberry
Callicarpa americana
Family Lamiaceae
Nothing else in autumn looks like beautyberry — clusters of berries in a metallic, almost implausible purple, wrapped tight around every arching stem like strings of lacquered beads. First-time visitors reliably ask whether it's real. It is, it's native, and cooked down it even makes a rose-colored jelly.
Dozens of bird species strip the branches through fall, bees work the summer flowers, and the shrub itself is fast, adaptable, and tough, arching three to six feet. The crushed leaves are an old folk mosquito repellent. Plant one where a window frames it in fall.
Full Sun to Part Shade
Low water
Fast growth
Native to North America
Attracts bees
From the print shop
Growing beautyberry? Hang it.
Our Plant Library collection carries beautyberry — Callicarpa americana, print Nº 46, “Beautyberry.”
526 designsfrom $12.99white or black backgroundmatte poster, unframed
Will it fruit where you are?
Enter your ZIP — we look up your USDA hardiness zone (2023 map) and check it against what beautyberry actually needs.
Hardy inZones 6-10Beautyberry · Common problems
Common beautyberry problems
Pests
1 problem on file
- Almost none
Diseases
1 problem on file
- Almost none
Beautyberry · Growing & propagation
Growing beautyberry
- Light
- Full Sun to Part Shade
- Water
- Low-Moderate; adaptable
Soil- Any well-drained · pH 6.0 - 7.5
Fertilizer- None needed
Pruning- Late Winter
Cut back hard (even to a foot) in late winter — it blooms and fruits on new wood, so hard pruning means more berries.
Spacing- 4-6 ft
How to plant & propagate beautyberry
- Propagate
- Seed (stratify), cuttings, or layering
Beautyberry · Calculators & field guides
A little help in the garden.
Beautyberry · Yearly calendar
The beautyberry year, month by month
Jan
No calendar activity is listed for this month.
BloomPrune
HarvestBloomJune to August
PruneFebruary to March
HarvestSeptember to November
What each band means
- Bloom — flowers open — pollinators working, frost on blossoms is the danger.
- Prune — shape it now — cuts heal cleanly and structure is visible.
- Harvest — picking time — check ripeness every few days.
These are the species' typical months — expect them a few weeks earlier in warm zones and later in cold ones. Watch the plant, not just the calendar.
Beautyberry · Ecology & uses
Ecology & uses
Callicarpa americana
Beautyberry in the garden system
- Shrub layer shrub
- Pest control
- Nectary/insectary
Attracts- Bees, Birds
Moisture- Upland / dry
Deer- Browsed
Protect young plants
- Origin
- Native to North America
What beautyberry is grown for
! Some parts toxic — see notesBerries mildly astringent raw; safe cooked (jelly)
- Use
- Fall berries
- Use
- Bird food
- Use
- Native shrub
- Use
- Jelly
Harvesting & storing beautyberry
Fall: astonishing clusters of METALLIC PURPLE berries hugging the stems — jelly-able, and a folk mosquito repellent from the leaves.
Edibility, identification, and traditional-use notes here are general reference — not medical or veterinary advice, and not a claim that any plant treats or prevents anything. Medicinal ratings record how strongly a plant features in herbal tradition, nothing more. Never eat or dose a plant you have not positively identified. More on how to use this library.
Beautyberry · Varieties & cultivars
Choosing a beautyberry variety
American species (biggest berries); C. dichotoma 'Issai' (hardier, z5); 'Welch's Pink' (white berries)
Sources & plant identity
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Beautyberry
Callicarpa americana
The plant, at a glance.
- Botanical name
- Callicarpa americana
- Plant family
- Lamiaceae
- Growth habit
- Shrub · Perennial
- Origin
- Native to North America
- USDA plant symbol
- CAAM2
- Invasive risk
- Low
Hardiness, size and timing vary with your cultivar, soil and climate.
Rooted in research.
University extension research, brought together with hands-on growing experience at Story Thyme Farms.
Questions
Beautyberry questions, answered straight.
Is beautyberry safe for kids and pets?
With care. Berries mildly astringent raw; safe cooked (jelly) Site it accordingly if children or pets roam the garden. This is general reference, not medical or veterinary advice — call a vet or poison control if something has actually been eaten.
When do you harvest beautyberry?
Fall: astonishing clusters of METALLIC PURPLE berries hugging the stems — jelly-able, and a folk mosquito repellent from the leaves.
How do you propagate beautyberry?
Seed (stratify), cuttings, or layering.
Elsewhere
Where beautyberry sits in the library.
Rose
Hydrangea
Common Lilac
Forsythia