Native Plant of the Week

 You are welcome to visit the

Native Plant of the Week

at 4020 Dunston Avenue.

The featured plant will be in the front yard

and will be marked.  

Common Name: American Beautyberry

Scientific Name: Callicarpa americana

General Description: Woody shrub that reaches 6-8 feet in height.  Branches arch outward providing a rounded shape.  June brings subtle, pink flowers (above right) that turn into conspicuous clumps of purple berries that encircle the stem.  Leaves turn yellow in the fall; but the colorful berries persist into the winter.

Habitat: American beautyberry prefers partial shade with moist soil.  It occurs naturally in open woods and thickets.  However, it can tolerate full sun and is somewhat drought tolerant once it is well established.

Additional information: Aside from its amazing ornamental value, the fruit of American beautyberry is a valuable winter food for many species of birds and mammals.  Summer residents such as catbirds and over-wintering birds such as the Eastern towhee munch on the berries.  The American beautyberry plants located in our backyard (Just ask if you would like to see them.) were started from a few berries collected near the town of Waverly, approximately 40 miles away.  Once established, the easiest propagation method is to simply dig up the new plants that germinate from the fallen berries near the mother plant.

” If half the American lawns were replaced with naitve plants, we could create the equivalent of a 20 million acre national park – nine times bigger than Yellowstone, or 100 times bigger than the Shenandoah National Park.”   Doug Tallamy

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