Purple Beautyberry - Callicarpa dichotoma - "Semi" Edible Purple Beauty berry

One of the traits that make for interesting fall or winter interest is fruit set. There are a great many berries that are not edible, which not even birds will eat unless very hungry, and these tend to stay on the plant longer into the winter. Our plant this week is of this last variety. I should say that North American birds don’t eat the berries, because I suspect in the Oriental nativity of this species, there is probably a bird or perhaps several, even a mammal, which eat the berries of Callicarpa.

Callicarpa is a genus of about 125 species, belonging to the Verbena or Vervain family, Verbenaceae. The genus name if from the Greek; kallos for beauty, and karpos for fruit. Indeed, this genus lives up to this billing. Most of the species that we grow for this beautiful fruit are native to the Orient, either Japan, China or Korea.

Purple Beautyberry is a small shrub, topping out at only 4 to 5 feet with a slightly greater spread. It is best grown in full sun, or light dappled shade as is our specimen here at the gardens. Any good garden soil will do, although excess fertility is unnecessary and even deleterious. Transplanted as a young plant, either potted or balled-and-burlapped, they are quite hardy in our zone (and even much further north), and are available in the nursery trade, although there are several species which might be called Beautyberry.

One of the reasons I like C. dichotoma is that it stays small: very useful in the home landscape, or even in the mixed border with perennials and annuals. Another attribute that I like is the planar arrangement of the leaves along the stem, providing horizontal lines in the garden, which is good for contrast as most branches and leaves are vertical, reaching for the sun. As well, the branches of C. dichotoma arch to the ground which adds to its charm.

The flowers occur in July here, and are found on the new growth, or on wood that is produced in that growing season. This is an important trait for this and other shrubs, because it allows for a hard pruning in early spring. The flowers of Beautyberry are purple to pink to white, very small, but in cymes (or clusters) along the branch. I really like the delicate blooms, and the fact that it flowers in July when few shrubs are flowering, adds to its charm.

In September and October, the berries begin to ripen to a metallic purple hue. The leaves begin to turn in October, bringing the best show of the year, with the purple berries offset against the yellow-green or chartreuse of the leaves.

The fact that a shrub blooms on first year wood makes a world of difference culturally. This means that in early spring, one can prune the plant right to the ground without interrupting its flowering or berry-production. Shrubs in this category usually bloom later in the growing season, including Buddleia, Vitex and Caryopteris. Shrubs that bloom in spring or early summer, say until June, generally bloom on last year’s wood, and should be pruned after flowering, in late spring or mid-summer, so as not to prune away the flower buds. Taste is definitely in the mind of the pruner, but I usually only take away what is needed to control the size of the plant, and only generally its shape. In my mind, there is a special hell for people who trim their lovely flowering shrubs like Forsythia into little boxes and globes, what a friend of mine called ‘meatballs in the landscape.’ But geometry is one of humanity’s greatest discoveries and who am I to dictate that gardeners cannot memorialize this achievement in their landscape?

The graceful lines of Callicarpa dichotoma sweep the ground around it, and the horizontal alignment of the flowers, berries and leaves add additional architectural interest. This tough plant like some sun but partial shade will help to keep it looking good through the hot dry summers.

The berries of Beautyberry are said by some to be poisonous, but at least one source claims Beautyberry Jam to be divine. Best not to put in your mouth plants that you are not sure about, but I can tell you from experience that the berry from our species is somewhat bitter and not for general consumption. The American native Beautyberry is browsed by squirrels, birds and First Peoples. The leaves can be used for mosquito and bug repellant, and there is a long list of uses of the plant parts by the First Peoples, including treatments for dropsy, dysentery and stomach aches, colic, malaria, rheumatism and fevers.

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