Plant of the Month: January, 2001

by Russell Stevens

Characteristics: American beautyberry is a deciduous, native, perennial shrub that prefers shady habitat in bottom land or upland. It is medium to large and can reach 9 feet tall. Stems are multiple, widely spreading, and often drooping, with smooth, tight, or somewhat roughened bark. Twigs are four sided. Leaves are simple (unbranched), opposite, elliptic to ovate shaped, and aromatic. Leaf margins are sharply toothed. The flowers are in clusters between the leaf and stem and range from white to bluish, reddish, or lavender-pink. The middle flowers mature first. The fruits, when mature, are red to violet or red-purple and extremely showy; hence, the Greek name callos, meaning beauty, and carpos, meaning fruit.

Area of Importance: Central and eastern Oklahoma and Texas.

Attributes: American beautyberry is used as a food source by white-tailed deer, small mammals, game birds, and songbirds. Bobwhite quail reportedly favor its fruit, and its growth form provides good cover for some species of wildlife. It can be propagated from seeds or cuttings and is increasingly used in landscape plantings.

I.D. Tip: Look for a large shrub that grows under forest canopies or in thickets and has a spreading, open growth form and four-sided twigs. Fruits mature in the fall and are usually bright red and showy. The fruit may remain attached into the winter.

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Hundreds of plants are identified in the Noble Foundation Plant Image Gallery.