North Carolina Wildflowers, Shrubs, & Trees

by Jeffrey S. Pippen | Back to Jeff's Plant Page | Jeff's Nature Pages


Lamiaceae > Callicarpa (beautyberry)

American Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) American Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana)
Washington Co., NC
30 June 2006

Common in the eastern half of North Carolina and rare elsewhere, American Beautyberry grows in various forested habitats.

American Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) American Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana)
Washington Co., NC
30 June 2006

Traditionally, Callicarpa has been placed in the Verbenaceae, but current evidence suggests it belongs in the mint family (Lamiaceae).

American Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) American Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana)
Thin soils over granite outcrops in Alexander Co., NC
3 July 2009

Rare in the western piedmont, we found many individuals growing on granite outcrops in Alexander Co., NC.

American Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) American Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana)
Jones Co., NC
21 Oct 2007

Berries turn a striking magenta color in the fall, giving rise to the plant's common name.

American Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) American Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana)
Roanoke Island in Dare Co., NC
8 Nov 2009
American Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) American Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana)
Durham Co., NC
8 Nov 2009

Annotated habitat and distribution information listed above is from Radford, Ahles, & Bell. 1968. Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas. UNC Press; Alan Weakley's Flora of the Carolinas, Virginia, and Georgia; and from personal observations and discussions with Will Cook, Harry LeGrand, and Bob Wilbur. Supplemental resources include USDA plants website, and NatureServe.


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Created on ... Mar 3, 2007 | jeffpippen9@gmail.com