November Shrub of the Month-Beautyberry

Callicarpa americana, or beautyberry is one of those shrubs that never gets noticed…until fall. Come October, beautyberry lives up to its name with “Barbie-purple” berries lining the stems in clusters. The berries last well into November and are favored by birds and wildlife.

St. Louis is at the edge of hardiness for this native, meaning it might die down to the ground in a severe winter. This doesn’t affect the flowering or fruit, so just cut off any dead stems in spring. Trimming to the ground every year can also help maintain a tidy habit.

Beautyberry loves sun but will tolerate part-shade in St. Louis and still produce flowers and fruit.

Native plant lovers beware, the non-native Callicarpa dichotoma originating in China looks very similar to our native beautyberry, and sometimes nurseries get them mixed up. How to tell them apart? The berries on native beautyberry are clustered tight to the stems. The berries on the non-native are elevated above the main stems by peduncles, or little stems. The native is usually larger (4-5’ tall and wide) and looser in habit when compared to the Asian beautyberry.

Check out this great side-by-side photo from horticulturist Jim Faupel of the Shaw Nature Reserve.

What I love about this plant-It’s a native, long-lasting purple berries for great late-season interest, and the benefits to wildlife. No major pests or disease.

What’s not so great-It can die to the ground in severe winters, or even worse-have partial die back with dead stems mixed in with the live ones. Cutting the whole thing down every spring solves this problem. It stays in the background during spring or summer, but the late-season berries are show-stoppers come fall!

Words and photos by Jo Batzer unless stated otherwise.

© Jo Batzer, garden-lou.com, All rights reserved.