Flower profile

American beautyberry

Callicarpa americana

Native in the lower 48

American beautyberry is a flowering plant that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 10 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in May–July.

14states

10of our state lists

68,266U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas

Quick look

Callicarpa americana, commonly called the American beautyberry, is an open-habitat, native shrub of the Southern United States which is often grown as an ornamental in gardens and yards. American beautyberries produce large clusters of purple berries, which birds and deer eat, thus distributing the seeds.
From Wikipedia's article Callicarpa americana, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Lamiaceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as a shrub with a perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 14 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
In Florida, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in April–July. ^iNaturalist
In Texas, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in May–July. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS lists its flower color as blue. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS gives its bloom period as early summer. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists a mature height of about 6 ft. ^{USDA PLANTS}
iNaturalist has 24,924 research-grade sightings of it in Florida, ranking #2 among the 110 flowers on our Florida list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 19,823 research-grade sightings of it in Texas, ranking #15 among the 109 flowers on our Texas list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 4,292 research-grade sightings of it in Alabama, ranking #1 among the 111 flowers on our Alabama list. ^iNaturalist

American beautyberry gift ideas

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When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (1,805 records)

Bloom time in each of our 10 states

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Florida	Native	April–July	24,924
Texas	Native	May–July	19,823
Alabama	Native	May–July	4,292
Georgia	Native	May–July	4,243
North Carolina	Native	June–August	3,827
South Carolina	Native	June–July	2,697
Louisiana	Native	May–July	2,522
Arkansas	Native	June–August	1,826
Mississippi	Native	May–July	1,616
Oklahoma	Native	few records	550

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: G5 Secure worldwide. ^NatureServe
Florida: Not listed Not on Florida Regulated Plant Index (Fla. Admin. Code 5B-40.0055). NatureServe: S4, apparently secure in Florida. ^{FAC 5B-40.0055}
Texas: Not listed Not on Texas endangered and threatened plants (31 Tex. Admin. Code § 69.8), as listed by Texas Parks and Wildlife. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Texas. ^{31 TAC 69.8}
Alabama: No list Alabama has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Alabama ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Alabama.
Georgia: Not listed Not on Georgia protected plants (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 391-4-10-.09; a 2026 update is proposed). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Georgia. ^{Ga. R. 391-4-10-.09}
North Carolina: Not listed Not on North Carolina Protected Plant Species List (02 NCAC 48F .0301). NatureServe: S5, secure in North Carolina. ^{02 NCAC 48F .0301}
South Carolina: No list South Carolina has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's South Carolina ranks instead. NatureServe: S5, secure in South Carolina.
Louisiana: No list Louisiana has no state list of endangered or threatened plants separate from the federal list, so we show federal status and NatureServe's Louisiana ranks. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Louisiana.
Arkansas: No list Arkansas has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Arkansas ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Arkansas.
Mississippi: No list Mississippi has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Mississippi ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Mississippi.
Oklahoma: No list Oklahoma has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Oklahoma ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Oklahoma.
Rare elsewhere: Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: KY (S1), MO (S1). (S1 critically imperiled, S2 imperiled, SH possibly extirpated, SX presumed extirpated.)

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleEdible (per NC State Extension)

NC State Extension notes: “While insipid, the berries are edible and are most often used to make jelly.” ^{NC State Extension}

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list, and NC State Extension doesn't flag it for pets.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records American beautyberry in 14 states.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia.

Florida counties with USDA records: Alachua, Baker, Bay, Bradford, Brevard, Broward, Calhoun, Charlotte, Citrus, Clay, Collier, Columbia, DeSoto, Dixie, Duval, Escambia, Flagler, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Glades, Gulf, Hamilton, Hardee, Hendry, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Holmes, Indian River, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lake, Lee, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Manatee, Marion, Martin, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Nassau, Okaloosa, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Santa Rosa, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns, St. Lucie, Sumter, Suwannee, Taylor, Union, Volusia, Wakulla, Walton, Washington.

Texas counties with USDA records: Anderson, Angelina, Aransas, Austin, Bastrop, Bell, Blanco, Bowie, Brazoria, Brazos, Caldwell, Cass, Chambers, Comal, Dallas, Denton, Fayette, Freestone, Galveston, Gonzales, Grayson, Gregg, Hardin, Harris, Hays, Houston, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, La Salle, Lavaca, Leon, Liberty, Limestone, Madison, Marion, McLennan, Milam, Nacogdoches, Newton, Orange, Polk, Robertson, Rusk, San Jacinto, Shelby, Smith, Tarrant, Travis, Trinity, Tyler, Walker, Washington.

Alabama counties with USDA records: Autauga, Baldwin, Bibb, Butler, Chilton, Colbert, Dallas, Elmore, Fayette, Greene, Hale, Jackson, Lee, Lowndes, Macon, Marshall, Mobile, Morgan, Perry, Pickens, Pike, Randolph, Tuscaloosa, Wilcox.

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Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile CAAM2.
iNaturalist, Callicarpa americana: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Callicarpa americana (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Florida: Florida Regulated Plant Index (Fla. Admin. Code 5B-40.0055).
Florida: Florida Noxious Weed List (Fla. Admin. Code 5B-57.007).
Texas: Texas endangered and threatened plants (31 Tex. Admin. Code § 69.8), as listed by Texas Parks and Wildlife.
Texas: Texas noxious and invasive plant list (4 Tex. Admin. Code § 19.300(a)).
Alabama: Alabama noxious weeds (Ala. Admin. Code r. 80-10-14-.04).
Georgia: Georgia protected plants (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 391-4-10-.09; a 2026 update is proposed).
North Carolina: North Carolina Protected Plant Species List (02 NCAC 48F .0301).
North Carolina: North Carolina Noxious Weed List (02 NCAC 48A .1702) (the list names any non-native Lythrum; we apply it to purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria), which isn't native).
South Carolina: South Carolina State Plant Pest List, plants (S.C. Code Regs. 27-135; Clemson Dept. of Plant Industry).
Arkansas: Arkansas State Plant Board noxious weeds and prohibited plants (2 CAR § 50-101).
Mississippi: Mississippi Noxious Weed List (2 Miss. Code R. 1-3-01-136.01).
Oklahoma: Oklahoma Noxious Weed Law (2 O.S. § 3-220).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Callicarpa americana (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: NC State Extension.
Photo: C. via iNaturalist · CC0 · resized.