How to use American beautyberries as food and mosquito repellent

Last Updated on March 1, 2024 by Aaron von Frank

American beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) is an attractive, common landscape shrub native to the Southeastern United States. It produces edible berries that can be turned into flavorful recipes as well as leaves that can be used as an effective mosquito repellent. Below, you’ll find out how to ID, grow, and use American beautyberries!

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Table of contents:

1. Introduction to beautyberries
2. American vs Asian beautyberries (with video comparison)
3. How to grow and harvest American beautyberries
4. Beautyberry medicinal uses and insect repellent
5. How to eat beautyberries – with recipes!

1. AN INTRODUCTION TO BEAUTYBERRIES (CALLICARPA SPP.)

Beautyberries are an attractive and useful shrub that produce small berry clusters which ripen in fall and remain on the plant for months thereafter. Unique beautyberries species grow natively around the world.

Since we live in South Carolina, our favorite beautyberry is our native species, American beautyberry (Callicarpa americana). We use this plant for food, mosquito repellent, edible landscaping, and its many benefits for native wildlife.

A closer look at American beautyberries

Let’s take a deeper dive into American beautyberries (Callicarpa americana):

Geographic range:

American beautyberries are native to the southeastern United States from Texas to Florida and as far north as Virginia. Its range also extends into the Caribbean and northern Mexico.

Habitat:

American beautyberries are robust plants that can survive in a wide range of environmental conditions. We’ve seen the plants growing wild in our area (Upstate South Carolina) in forest, field, and edge habitats alike.

Wildlife benefits:

American beautyberry plants provide numerous wildlife benefits:

• The flowers provide pollen and nectar for native bees and butterflies.
• It’s a host plant for multiple pollinators, including spring azure butterflies (Celastrina ladon) and snowberry clearwing moths (Hemaris diffinis).
• It creates habitat for bird nests as well as native insects like Carolina mantises. We often see mantis egg casings/oothecae stuck to beautyberry branches after the leaves drop.
• The ripe fruit is a nutrient-rich food for numerous bird and mammal species during winter when other fruit is scarce.

Beautyberry leaves can be popular with deer, so you may need to take extra precautions to keep deer out if you’re growing beautyberry plants in your yard.

Ornamental landscape plant:

American beautyberries are also a very popular landscape plant due to:

• how easy they are to grow (as most native plants are),
• their compact growth habit which requires no pruning, and
• their attractive, colorful berries. 

Since their showy berry clusters remain on the plant even after the leaves have dropped, American beautyberries make an attractive winter garden plant in an ornamental landscape.

Unfortunately, we also see a lot of non-native beautyberry species in commercial and home landscapes. Some of these, like Asian beautyberries, are considered invasive species and can also hybridize with native beautyberries, thereby creating genetic pollution.

Since beautyberries are a popular landscape plant, the easiest way to forage them is to find them growing at local parks rather than in the wild. If you forage them from a public space, try to avoid spots where pesticides have been used.

2. AMERICAN BEAUTYBERRIES VERSUS ASIAN BEAUTYBERRIES: HOW TO TELL THEM APART

As a supplement to the video above, here are three ways you can tell the difference between native American beautyberries (Callicarpa americana) and non-native Asian beautyberries (C. bodinieri and C. japonica):

1. Asian beautyberries ripen earlier.

American beautyberries *fully ripen later than non-native beautyberries. (*Fully ripen meaning all fruit on the plant is deep lilac in color. There are also bred white beautyberry varieties such as ‘Alba’, so this distinction does not apply there.)

For instance, some Asian beautyberry plants we forage have fully ripe berries by late August-early September, whereas American beautyberries won’t fully ripen until October.

2. Asian beautyberries have longer, clearly visible peduncles.

Asian beautyberries feature loosely formed berry clusters on peduncles/stems that visibly dangle off of the main branch. However, American beautyberries form tight clusters wrapped right around the branch (no visible peduncles).

This feature is the easiest way to distinguish between native and non-native beautyberries when they’re fruiting!

3. Plant size, leaf size, and growth habit.

American beautyberry plants are larger and more upright than Asian species, which tend to be shorter with deeply arching, weeping branches. American beautyberry leaves also tend to be longer than Asian species (3-6″ inches long vs. 1-3″ long), but this is not always the case.

There are numerous beautyberry species, cultivars, and hybrids, so each of these distinctions may not always hold true.

Are beautyberries edible? What do they taste like?

Yes, beautyberries are edible. Raw fresh beautyberries are mildly sweet and have spicy notes somewhat similar to Asian five spice.

The fruit pulp is more pithy than juicy. Each berry contains a few small seeds which can also be eaten.

We’ve also found that different beautyberry species have slightly different flavors:

• American beautyberries are generally much more intensely spice-flavored and less sweet than Asian beautyberries. Due to their more intense flavor, we prefer American beautyberries for recipes.
• Asian beautyberries are generally much less intensely spice flavored but more sweet than American beautyberries. Arguably, this might make them better for fresh eating, but not as good for cooked recipes.

Beautyberries aren’t a fruit you’ll want to eat by the handful like blackberries or strawberries, but they can be used to make a number of very tasty recipes, which we’ll detail below.

Berry production: What’s the per-plant yield?

A single mature American beautyberry plant can produce 3-5 pounds of fruit in a growing season.

When do you harvest American beautyberries?

American beautyberries are best harvested from fall through early winter. The entire fruit cluster should be fully purple/lilac in color when harvesting. Unripe fruit or brown/freeze-damaged fruit should be avoided.

Beautyberries’ flavor is best after nighttime temperatures start dipping into the low 40s and upper 30s, but before they’ve experiencing multiple deep freezes.

When do American beautyberries flower?

From late spring through early summer, beautyberry plants are covered in small clusters of inconspicuous flowers ranging in color from white to pink to purple. The flowers are quite popular with native pollinators (especially native bees), so you’ll enjoy a pleasant humming sound if you approach a beautyberry plant in flower!

3. HOW TO GROW AND HARVEST AMERICAN BEAUTYBERRIES

American beautyberries are an attractive, low-maintenance shrub that’s ideal for growing in Southeastern landscapes.

Here’s the basic information you need to know before growing them:

Hardiness zones:

Grows from Ag Zones 7-11.

Size and growth habit:

American beautyberry shrubs feature a compact growth habit, maturing to about 5′ tall x 5′ wide. In ideal conditions (full sun, rich moist soil), they can grow much larger. The largest American beautyberry plant we’ve seen is about 8’ tall x 8’ wide.

Spacing and placement recommendations:

We recommend growing American beautyberries spaced about 5’ apart, so they mature into a snug hedge. We also recommend growing them as a second or third row plant in an edible home landscape, with smaller plants in front.

Light requirements:

American beautyberry plants prefer full sun and will produce the most berries when grown in full sun. They can tolerate partial shade, but will not grow well in full shade.

Soil types:

American beautyberry plants will grow best in well-draining, rich soils with high organic matter. However, they are robust plants that can tolerant a wide range of soil types including clay, sand, and loam. Likewise, they can also tolerate a wide range of soil pH levels, from 4.8 to 7.0.

Recommendation: Maintain a 3-5″ layer of wood chips/mulch on the soil surface around your American beautyberry plants to help maintain ideal soil conditions and biological fertility.

Water, temperature, and humidity requirements

Young 1-3 year old American beautyberry plants will benefit from receiving 1” of water per week during summer via rain or irrigation. However, mature 3+ year old established plants have exceptional drought and heat tolerance, and will likely require no supplemental irrigation, even in summer.

Yes, we’ve seen American beautyberry plants thrive through an intense South Carolina summer drought. We had almost no rain for 8 weeks, and temperatures stayed in the low to mid 90s throughout. Nevertheless, mature American beautyberry plants survived with no irrigation — and still produced berries, albeit fewer and smaller berries than normal.

Conversely, since American beautyberries are native to the Southeast, they’re also very tolerant of heavy rainfalls and hot humid conditions.

The only thing American beautyberries can’t tolerate is extreme cold, hence why they have trouble growing below Zone 7. If winter temps regularly dip into the single digits or below, the plants could be killed — especially young plants, which are more vulnerable.

Anyone in colder zones intent on growing American beautyberries may want to grow them in pots, so the plants can be moved to provide winter protection.

Lifespan:

In ideal conditions, an American beautyberry plant can live for 30 or more years.

Where to get your first American beautyberry plants

Get beautyberry plants from a local nursery if you want to start with larger plants. Just make sure the nursery is 100% certain they’re carrying American beautyberries (Callicarpa americana), not a non-native species. 

You can also start your own American beautyberry plants by growing them from stem cuttings or seed. Here’s how:

How to grow American beautyberries from cuttings:

1. Remove 4-6″ cuttings from the tops of mature beautyberry branches in the spring shortly after the plants have broken dormancy. Do this before they’ve gone into reproductive mode, aka started flowering.

2. Remove bottom leaves and dip bottom 3″ of cuttings in rooting hormone.

3. Transplant to small containers filled with damp potting soil.

4. For first 2 weeks, keep cutting(s) outdoors in shaded spot and make sure the soil remains damp, but not wet. Mist the plants once per day.

5. Roots should begin developing within a few weeks. Once you see clear signs of new growth and vigor, bring the plants into part- to full-sun location.

6. Transplant young plants into their final spots the following spring, or pot up to larger pots for 1-2 more years if more mature transplants desired.

How to grow American beautyberries from seed:

1. Collect past-ripe beautyberries in late fall or early winter, at least 1 month after your first freeze. Remove seeds and let them dry indoors. (Each berry contains 2-4 seeds).

American beautyberry seeds don’t technically require cold stratification, but you’ll have better germination rates using this method.

2. In late winter, sow individual seeds about 1/4″ deep in small containers with seed starting mix.

3. Keep soil damp but not wet. Seeds should germinate within 2-3 weeks. After germination, place containers outdoors in a sunny spot. Keep watered throughout summer; pot up to larger container and fertilize as necessary.

4. Transplant into final outdoor spot the following spring — or pot up to a larger container and transplant larger plants after 2-3 years.

How to harvest American beautyberries

As a newbie, you might consider being a “dainty” beautyberry picker – aka pulling off individual berries from the bush. This will be an arduous process given how small and densely clustered the berries are.

Instead, here’s how we pick gallons of beautyberries in a matter of minutes: one person holds a harvest basket underneath a beautyberry branch while the other person strips off entire clusters with one hand and holds the branch steady with the other. Move to the next branch and continue.

Yes, this will result in some leaves ending up in your harvest basket but those can easily be removed later.  

Beautyberry Warning:

Some people can have an allergic skin reaction to beautyberry leaves. Be aware of this possibility and tread lightly your first time picking beautyberries until you know you’re not allergic. You may also want to wear a long-sleeved shirt and gloves while harvesting to prevent itchiness.

4. BEAUTYBERRY’S OTHER USES

Beautyberry medicinal uses

In addition to using American beautyberries as food, Native Americans made use of the plant for medicinal purposes. The USDA’s Plant Fact Sheet on beautyberries gives an overview of how Native American populations and early European settlers used beautyberry plants:

“The roots, leaves, and branches were used by various Native American tribes for medicinal purposes to treat malarial fevers and rheumatism. The roots were used to treat dizziness, stomachaches and dysentery. Roots and berries were boiled and drunk to treat colic. In the early 20th century, farmers would crush the leaves and place them under the harnesses of horses and mules to repel mosquitoes. The farmers rubbed the crushed leaves on themselves to repel mosquitoes and biting bugs.”

The result is a highly effective single-ingredient botanical insect repellent. (*Again, before you go all-in with this remedy note that beautyberry leaves do cause contact dermatitis/allergic reactions in some people, so tread lightly until you know how you’ll react.)

Now, in case you’re wondering, this isn’t simply a folk remedy. Modern science has proven the efficacy of beautyberry leaves to repel mosquitoes. Excerpt from USDA scientists discussing these findings:

“Traditional folklore remedies many times are found to lead nowhere following scientific research,” he [Charles Cantrell, an ARS chemist in Oxford] continued. “The beautyberry plant and its ability to repel mosquitoes is an exception. We actually identified naturally occurring chemicals in the plant responsible for this activity.”

Three repellent chemicals were extracted during the 12-month study: callicarpenal, intermedeol and spathulenol. The research concluded that all three chemicals repulse mosquitoes known to transmit yellow fever and malaria.

Yet another reason to grow or forage for beautyberries!

Side note: I also crush fresh home-grown catnip leaves in my hands, rub them on my skin, and find it also repels mosquitos. No, beautyberries aren’t the only plant you can grow to use as a mosquito repellent. However, catnip leaves are only available in the spring and early summer, whereas beautyberry leaves are available all summer long. (Read: From the scientists: how to use catnip as a mosquito repellent and 13 edible plants you can grow and use to repel mosquitoes.)

5. HOW TO EAT BEAUTYBERRIES – WITH RECIPES

As mentioned throughout this article, beautyberries are indeed edible. They’re just not something you’ll want to eat raw by the handful. However, we find them delicious once cooked and used in recipes.

Preparing beautyberries for recipes

Our favorite thing to do with beautyberries is to make a concentrated beautyberry “juice” that we then use to make into other beautyberry recipes. Here’s how: 

1. Put equal quantities of fresh beautyberries and water into a pot on your stove (example 5 cups beautyberries and 5 cups water). 

2. Bring to low boil for about 20 minutes, stirring every few minutes.  

3. Initial straining- Strain through metal pasta strainer to remove seeds and skin.   

4. Final straining into jars – Strain through finer-meshed strainer when pouring into jars for storage to remove smaller bits/sediment.  

5. Put jars of beautyberry juice in the fridge. These can be stored for up to a month. You can also make beautyberry ice cubes, then put the ice cubes into freezer bags for long-term storage.

What does the base unsweetened beautyberry concentrate/juice taste like? Almost exactly like hibiscus roselle tea (from Hibiscus sabdariffa). Tangy, slightly sweet, with interesting mildly spicy notes at the end. 

Beautyberry nutritional content 

While there’s no available data on beautyberry nutrition, our guess — based on the berries’ flavor and color — is that beautyberries:

• have high Vitamin C levels (hence their tang),
• contain high concentrations of other vitamins and minerals,
• have high levels of carbohydrates, like other berries (sweet),
• have very high fiber content (if eaten raw with seeds and skin),
• contain high levels of beneficial antioxidant compounds, which give them their purple color. 

Beautyberry recipes:

You can use your concentrated beautyberry juice (from instructions above) as a base for all sorts of beautyberry recipes, such as beautyberry tea, sauces (really good on white fish, pork, poultry, etc), jelly, jello, wine, sorbets and ice cream.

Recipe: Beautyberry tea

Beautyberry tea is quite simple to make. Heat 1/2 cup beautyberry juice (using our concentrated beautyberry juice recipe from above) with 1/2 cup water. Add a bit of sweetener (like stevia powder or honey), and enjoy.

As mentioned earlier, beautyberry tea tastes almost identical to hibiscus tea: tangy and citrusy.

You can also dry whole beautyberries, then use them as a tea flavoring or in a tea mix.

Recipe: Fermented crabapple-beautyberry cider

Want to make a delicious, seasonal fermented cider with beautyberries and crabapples?

Recipe: Beautyberry jello 

Given the beautiful purple color of beautyberries, they lend themselves well to recipes such as jellies and jellos. Beautyberry jelly recipes abound on the internet, so we won’t bother with a recipe here. 

However, we will teach you exactly how to make a good beautyberry jello recipe! 

Below are some process photos to help you if you’re making this recipe for the first time. Below the photos, you’ll find the recipe with ingredients and instructions:  

Now you know how to ID, grow, and use American beautyberries for food and mosquito repellent. We hope you enjoy this delightful native plant as much as we do!

KIGI,

Other helpful articles you might enjoy: 

• From the scientists: how to use catnip as a mosquito repellent
• How to safely kill mosquitoes in your yard without poison
• Beginner’s guide to foraging: 12 rules to follow 
• How to start a garden today: top-10 tips
• Gift guide for home chefs and anyone who loves to cook