American Beautyberry 3gal

The American beautyberry is a woody, deciduous, perennial shrub that produces showy purple fruits in the fall. It is a member of the mint family (Lamiaceae) and is native to the central and southeastern United States, Bermuda, and Cuba. Beautyberry’s native habitat is open meadows, thickets, woodlands and margins of ponds, ditches and streams. In the spring, green leaves emerge on upright arching stems. The genus name is Greek for beautiful fruit.

The shrub prefers full sun to part shade and is intolerant of deep shade. It will grow 3-8 feet tall and 3 to 6 feet wide in all types of soil provided it has good drainage. Prune in late winter to 1 foot high as the flowers and fruits appear on new shoots. It can be propagated by seeds or stem cuttings.

Clusters of small flowers bloom on the stems during the late spring and early summer. Clusters of purplish to bluish berries develop from August through October and encircle the stem. The fruits may last through early winter. They are a good food source for songbirds and small mammals. The leaves, when crushed, produce a chemical that can repel mosquitos, ticks, and fire ants. 

This shrub is suited for mass plantings, large landscapes, naturalized areas, pond margins and container gardening. They seem to produce more fruit if several more of the same type of shrubs are planted nearby. American beautyberry is also at home in a butterfly garden, children’s garden, native garden, pollinator garden, and winter garden.