Beautyberries

Beautyberries in a garden, November 2017 (photo by Kate St. John)
Beautyberries in a garden, November 2017 (photo by Kate St. John)

I’m very fond of the color purple so I was captivated by these stunning berries on a bush in someone’s garden.  I’m not surprised that they’re called beautyberries.

Beautyberry (Callicarpa) is a mostly-tropical plant native to Asia, Australia, Madagascar, and the Americas.  American beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) ranges from Maryland to Florida so garden plants here in Pittsburgh could be native cultivars or imported.

Amazingly, American beautyberry contains four chemicals that can be used as mosquito repellent.  USDA has patented the use of one of them: callicarpenal.

 

(photo by Kate St. John)

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