American Beauty Berry Callicarpa americana L. is a native plant to North America and are edible! Be sure like any foraging adventure that you have someone who has the knowledge and skills to find and identify the plants you plan to consume. DO NOT eat a berry if you are not 100% sure!
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
What is American Beauty Berry?
A native perennial found in the south/south east United States including Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Georgia, Virginia, Missouri, Mississippi, Alabama. One of the most distinguishing features is the bright magenta berries. A partial woody medium level bush that grows in many locations.
Beauty Berry Habit
The bush grows around 3-5 feet tall and wide, but can reach taller heights. Many animal enjoy the berries including deer, birds, and other wildlife. They are also used as part of landscaping as they have bright purple berries starting in late summer with light green leaves.
Beauty Berry Uses
According to the USDA, Native Americans have used beauty berry in many ways. Medicinal uses such as to treat for Malaria and Rheumatoid arthritis. Many people today still use the leaves for a mosquito repellent. While they are edible, most people, including myself, do not like to eat them raw. They taste medicinal and are not terribly sweet.
Beauty Berry Jelly
I quickly found out that people often use them as jelly. This is the one I used from Hearth and Vine. With the right amount of pectin and sugar, you can have a very unique jelly. The only tricky part I found was that it can take a while. Also, like all wild berries, there will be more amount of variation. Depending on when in the season you get them and the level of purple. Unlike commercial varieties of berries, even ones you grow, wild berries and other fruits will just not be all the same consistency.
Pin for later:
I had no idea these were any good for anything other than looking pretty. Im so glad I came across this, thanks!
Isn’t that a hybrid Beauty Berry? True beauty berry has drooping branches and smaller berries. The hybrids are upright stems and the berries cluster around the stem.
I think there are different varieties of wild beauty berries just as there are of wild elderberries. We have wild beauty berries on our property in north Alabama and they look just like these photos. As the article indicates, even with pectin I have a hard time getting my jelly to set! But it is a beautiful color, and so worth the effort!
Hi Leilani!
Thank you so much for this great article and especially for linking the USDA Fact Sheet! Really interesting to read about the arthritis part!
Thank you!