What an absolutely gorgeous plant this is. My husband and I visited the local Green Market in December and met Josh and Natasha Motesharei Renaud, owners of Tocobaga Landscape. They specialize in Florida native plants, butterfly and bird attractors, and bonsai.

As we chatted I noticed a beautyberry shrub. Although there were not a lot of leaves on it (the time of year) it had huge clusters of fushia colored berries. Callicarpa americana is a native shrub in the Verbena family. It is also known as the French mulberry named by English settlers here who despised the French and named the berry, which they found bland and unpalatable, after them.

The shrub is a perennial and grows to about 8 feet in height and width although it can be kept trimmed to a smaller size to fit in the landscape. It produces small pink flowers in spring and summer and then berries as a winter food source for birds and gray squirrels. The berries are edible and can be made into a jelly. The roots and leaves were used by Indians to make tea to treat fever and dysentery among other maladies.

It truly is a gorgeous plant and can be grown in full sun to part shade requiring very little attention once it is established. I placed mine in part sun and the berry clusters are stunning against the green hollies. For more information about the beautyberry as well as other Florida natives contact any of the Florida Native Plant Societies in your area or read the Waterwise Florida Landscapes booklet produced by Florida's water management districts. Or drop an email to Josh and Natasha. They are a wealth of information. Happy Florida Gardening.