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| ## american beautyberry {#american-beautyberry .Title-Header}         |
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| *Callicarpa americana* L.                                             |
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| Plant Symbol = CAAM2                                                  |
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####### *Contributed By: USDA NRCS National Plant Data Center*

**Alternate names**![](media/image2.jpeg){width="2.6993055555555556in"
height="1.8125in"}

Beautyberry (*Callicarpa* means "beautyberry"), French mulberry,
American mulberry, wild goose's berries

### Uses

*Ethnobotanic*: The roots, leaves and branches of the American
beautyberry were used by the Alabama, Choctaw, Creek, Koasati, Seminole
and other Native American tribes for various medicinal purposes. The
roots, leaves and branches were made into a decoction that was used in
sweat baths to treat both malarial fevers and rheumatism. The boiled
plant parts were poured into a big pan that was placed near the patient
inside a sweathouse. A similar decoction of the roots was used to treat
dizziness and stomachaches. The roots of *Callicarpa americana* were
boiled with roots from *Rubus spp*. to make an infusion to treat
dysentery. The roots and berries were boiled and drunk to treat colic.
The bark from the stems and roots was used to treat itchy skin. A tea
from the root bark was taken to treat urine retention or "urine
stopped-up sickness."

*Wildlife*: The fruits of American beautyberry are an important food
source for many species of birds including bobwhite quails,
mockingbirds, robins, towhees, and brown thrashers. Animals that eat the
fruit include armadillos, raccoons, wood rats, gray foxes, opossums, and
white-tailed deer. The long-lasting fruits provide food for birds and
animals well into the winter months when other food-sources are
unavailable.

Other: *Beautyberry shrubs are raised for their ornamental flowers as
well as their colorful clusters of fruits.*

### Status

Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Department of Natural
Resources for this plant's current status (e.g. threatened or endangered
species, state noxious status, and wetland indicator values).

### Description

*General*: Vervain Family (Verbenaceae). American beautyberry is a
native, perennial shrub. These small, deciduous shrubs reach from 1 to 2
m in height. The leaves are opposite, elliptical to ovate in shape (7 to
15 cm long) and have saw-toothed margins. The under-side of the leaves
can be covered with white or rust-colored woolly hairs. The
inconspicuous blue, violet, pink, or white flowers are borne in axillary
clusters that bloom from late spring to early summer. The flowers are
funnel-shaped with four clefs. The round, showy, violet or magenta
drupes or fruits are 4-5 mm in diameter. The very juicy fruits,
containing from 2 to 4 seeds, begin to ripen in August or September.
These colorful fruits remain on the shrubs long after the leaves drop.

*Distribution*: For current distribution, please consult the Plant
Profile page for this species on the PLANTS Web site.

*Habitat*: American beautyberry shrubs occur in dry open woods, moist
woods, thickets and hammocks. They occur as understudy species in upland
pine forests, upper slope pine-oak forests and old-growth maritime
forests. These shrubs are adapted to climates with hot, humid summers
and moderate winters.

### Establishment

These shrubs may be propagated by softwood cuttings, but they are
primarily grown from seed. The seeds do not require pretreatment for
germination. The many volunteers that this plant produces are very
hearty and can be dug up and transplanted elsewhere in a more desirable
location. The plants do well in partial shade and sunny locations in
well-drained soils. The shrubs have a denser habit and produce more
fruit in sunny locations.

### Management

This plant can produce abundant volunteers from the many seeds that drop
to the soil. The flowers are produced on new growth, so prune plants
after the fruits are gone to increase the next year's growth and berry
production. The plants can take a hard pruning and may be pruned to the
ground level in the winter if desired.

### Cultivars, Improved and Selected Materials (and area of origin)

These plant materials are somewhat available from commercial sources.
The white-fruited *C. Americana* var. *lacteal* is available from
specialty nurseries.

Contact your local Natural Resources Conservation Service (formerly Soil
Conservation Service) office for more information. Look in the phone
book under "United States Government". The Natural Resources
Conservation Service will be listed under the subheading "Department of
Agriculture."

### References

Bailey, L.H. & E.Z. Bailey 1976. *Hortus Third: A concise dictionary of
plants cultivated in the United States and Canada*. Simon and Schuster
Macmillan Co., New York, New York. 1290 pp.

Barbour, M.G., & W.D. Billings, Editors 2000. *North American
terrestrial vegetation*, Second Edition. Cambridge University Press,
Cambridge, United Kingdom. 708 pp.

Chapman, A.W. 1883. *Flora of the southern United States: Flowering
plants and ferns*. Second Edition. J. Wilson and Son, Cambridge,
Massachusetts. 698 pp.

Dirr, M.A. 1997. *Dirr's hardy trees and shrubs: an illustrated
encyclopedia*. Timber Press, Portland, Oregon. 493 pp.

Dirr, M.A. 1998. *Manual of woody landscape plants. Fifth Edition*.
Stipes Publishing, Champaign, Illinois. 1187 pp.

Greene, W.F. & H.L. Blomquist 1953. *Flowers of the south: Native and
exotic*. University of North Carolina Press. Chapel Hill, North
Carolina. 208 pp.

Martin, A.C., H.S. Zim & A.L. Nelson 1951. *American wildlife and
plants: A guide to wildlife food habits*. Dover Publications, New York.
500 pp.

Moerman, D.E. 1998. *Native American ethnobotany*. Timber Press,
Portland, Oregon. 927 pp.

Moerman, D.E. 1999. *Native American Ethnobotany Database: Foods, drugs,
dyes and fibers of native North American peoples. The University of
Michigan-Dearborn.* \[Online\]. Available:

<http://www.umd.umich.edu/cgi-bin/herb>

(19 June 2001)

Ottensen, C. 1995. *The native plant primer.* Harmony Books, New York,
New York. 354 pp.

Rogers, D.J. & C. Rogers 1991. *Woody ornamentals for Deep South
gardens*. University of West Florida Press, Pensacola, Florida. 296 pp.

Small, J.K. 1933. *Manual of Southeastern flora*. University of North
Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, North Carolina. 1554 pp.

Smith, A.I. 1979. *A guide to wildflowers of the Mid-south*. Memphis
State University Press, Memphis, Tennessee. 281 pp.

Sturtevant, W.C. 1954. *The Mikasuki Seminole: medical beliefs and
practices*. Doctoral Dissertation, Yale University. 538 pp.

Swanson, R.E. 1994. *A field guide to the trees and shrubs of the
Southern Appalachians*. John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore,
Maryland. 399 pp.

Swanton, J.R. 2000. *Creek religion and medicine*. University of
Nebraska Press, Lincoln, Nebraska. 684 pp.

Taylor, L.A. 1940. *Plants used as curatives by certain Southeastern
Tribes*. Botanical Museum of Harvard University, Cambridge,
Massachusetts.

88 pp.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research
Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory 2001. *Fire effects information*

*system*, \[Online\]. Available: <http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/>.
\[19 June 2001\].

Young, J.A. & C.G. Young 1992. *Seeds of woody plants in North America*.
Dioscorides Press, Portland, Oregon. 407 pp.

### Prepared By

## *Diana L. Immel*

USDA NRCS National Plant Data Center, c/o

Environmental Horticulture Department, University of California, Davis,
California

### Species Coordinator

## *M. Kat Anderson*

USDA NRCS National Plant Data Center, c/o Plant Science Department,
University of California, Davis, California

Edited: 28sep01 jsp; 29apr03 ahv; 31may06 jsp

For more information about this and other plants, please contact your
local NRCS field office or Conservation District, and visit the PLANTS
Web site\<[http://plants.usda.gov](http://plants.usda.gov/)\> or the
Plant Materials Program Web site
\<[http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov](http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov/)\>

*The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in
all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national
origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual
orientation, and marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases
apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require
alternative means for communication of program information (Braille,
large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA\'s [TARGET
Center](http://www.usda.gov/oo/target.htm) at 202-720-2600 (voice and
TDD).*

*To file a complaint of discrimination write USDA, Director, Office of
Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence
Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call 202-720-5964 (voice or
TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.*

*Read about [Civil Rights at the Natural Resources Convervation
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