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Hundreds of enthusiastic online posts by homeowners attest to the beauty and durability of Callicarpa americana, making its common name “American Beautyberry” appropriate. The genus name “callicarpa” is two Greek words, callos (“beauty”) and carpos (“fruit”), combined.
Pale pink spring and summer blooms are followed by clusters of berries, usually magenta but sometimes white. Any fruit not eaten when it first ripens will stay on the branches after autumn leaf fall, making it visible to birds searching for fruit in cooler weather; and also delighting the senses of humans.
Beautyberry is an understory plant that grows under taller plants such as trees. In nature, it fills that very important role of understory, plants which are themselves sheltered by trees and in turn protect the communities of smaller plants growing underneath. The understory is vital to existence of pollinators and the health of the wildlife and microorganisms that participate in the decomposition process which transforms leaves and other organic matter into food available in the soil for plants to be nourished.
The scarcity of understory in our modern landscapes and recreational areas kills smaller wildlife and microorganisms and ultimately harms human health. A lawn of only large trees and grass offers little for pollinators. Lack of plants under trees exposes the trees to more heat and potentially fatal wounds from lawn equipment.
Sometimes homeowners decide to fill the void but do so with invasive species. In entire sections of Texas cities, invasive Nandina domestica is present in places where native birds are seeking Callicarpa americana and other native fruits; and thus birds are lured to their death by cyanide poisoning because they eat Nandina when they cannot find their natural food sources. Beautyberries are eaten by more than 40 species of birds, including finches, mockingbirds, robins, cardinals and thrashers.
Planting native understory such as Beautyberry is a patriotic way to show appreciation for our native lands and plants. Callicarpa americana is native to all the Gulf Coast states and its range extends a little farther northeast along the Eastern Seaboard.
Native American tribes utilized Beautyberry in many ways, using every part of the plant. Tribes that made medicine from Beautyberry include Alabama, Choctaw, Creek, Koasati and Seminole, according to the National Gardening Association. Treatments for rheumatism, malaria and fever were made by boiling roots and leaves and drinking the tea. Colic and illness were treated with tea made by boiling berries and roots. Stomach problems, dysentery and dizziness were treated with tea made from roots. Bark was used to relieve itching.
The taste of Beautyberries is debated in online blogs as gardeners disagree on whether they taste better grown in shade or sun. As with all fruits, taste and nutritional value will vary depending on the availability of nutrients the plant needs in the soil. Beautyberry jam and wine are some traditional ways to preserve a good harvest. Today, bloggers share recipes for Beautyberry pancakes.
A belief that Beautyberry leaves repelled mosquitoes, ticks, flies and other biting insects led farmers of a century ago to crush the leaves and place them under the harnesses of their horses and mules, and to rub the leaves on their own skin. Bloggers share insights about their dogs lying under Beautyberry, which they believe is to protect themselves from mosquitoes.
To explore this tradition, the Agricultural Research Service tested Callicarpa americana leaves and found two compounds that repel biting insects: callicarpenal and intermedeol. Another research finding in Beautyberry leaves was terpenoids, which repel fire ants.
These findings bring to light how, by extirpating our native plants, we have really been killing ourselves, sometimes literally. Think how many fewer health problems humans could have experienced, and how many tons of pesticides would not have been used, if humans had simply not removed American Beautyberry from places where it naturally grows!
Good news! Very recently, the commercial plant trade has responded to consumer demand so that Callicarpa americana is available in most places that sell plants in the areas where it is native, and beyond. Often, locally-owned garden centers are better able to answer customer questions that ensure the plants were grown without the use of systemic pesticides, and thus provide gardeners assurance that they will not take the plant home to attract wildlife and instead cause harm. Because the same common name may be applied to several plants, the sure way to get the plant you are seeking is to ask by scientific name, such as Callicarpa americana, rather than common name.
Callicarpa americana proliferates in the Western Gulf Coastal Plain. Its range extends west to wooded areas and areas near bodies of water in the Texas Blackland Prairies. Beautyberry is a good plant to begin the transformation of a lawn with trees into a more vibrant naturalized landscape with understory. Online bloggers agree it is one of the easier plants to transplant and grow. In an urban area, it is a good choice to begin filling in under a tree where there is an existing birdbath, so that it utilizes the water splashed out of the birdbath. Caution should be observed to never plant directly beneath or with plants screening a birdbath, so that birds are not lured to a fatal last drink when cats are hiding in foliage.
One Beautyberry in my yard has been growing under trees without supplemental water for 16 years, and there is another one the same height that gets water almost daily when the bird bath or dog bowls are cleaned and refilled. They are the same height and both provide abundant fruit every year. In a drought, the one not receiving supplemental water will grow smaller leaves and may drop them early during a summer drought, while the other has consistently full green leaves. It is a testimony to Beautyberry adaptability that both these plants, and others planted beneath trees throughout the yard, are all healthy and fruiting.
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**ARCHIVED POST AUTHOR: cywinski
