Callicarpa americana

Callicarpa americana L.

Common Names: Beauty Berry, American Beauty Berry, French Mulberry

Family: Lamiaceae

Habit: Callicarpa americana grows as a medium size shrub up to 3 m in height.  Vegetation covered with stellate pubescence.  The leaves are arranged oppositely, up to 25 cm in length (usually shorter) with an acute/acuminate leaf apex and a crenate/serrate margin. The abaxial surface appearing white from the dense pubescence.

The complete, perfect, actinomorphic flowers are arranged in axillary cymes.  The calyx has 4 fused green petals. The corolla has 4 fused, blue to pink petals. There are 4 stamens.  The ovary is superior with 2 locules. The fruit is a berry turning pink/purple at maturity.

Habitat: Callicarpa americana grows in Dry Broadleaf Evergreen Shrublands (coppice/scrublands) as well as Pine Woodlands.

Distribution: Callicarpa americana on some of the Pine Islands as well as in Florida, Cuba, and Bermuda.

Medicinal/Cultural/Economic usage: Callicarpa americana is not known to be used medicinally in the Lucayan Archipelago.

Callicarpa americana is part of the horticultural trade for its bright, showy fruits.