How about Callicarpa 'Profusion' - but there are many many many beauty berries out there and I have seen them look one way one year and a completely different color to the berries the following year.

I don't think it was Profusion -- it had a name that referred to the darkness of the berries.

Maybe Callicarpa dichotoma Early Amethyst ?

OK, thanks a lot - yet another plant I'm going to lust for now.

Sorry, Brenda. :)

I don't think it was Early Amethyst either.

Well, it may not be the one you want, but now it's the one I want - this addiction is hopeless and worsening.

Is there any way to preserve the beauty of these berries? They are not as long-lived after cutting as winterberry, are they? I have some in a basket on my door right now, but I'm assuming they will just blacken and fall off.

claire in sanford

Alicia, Callicarpa dichotoma is also called Purple Beauty berry. I found that by entering "beautyberry cultivars" in the yahoo search.

Here is a white version.
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Thanks, cribscreek, I am familiar with Purple Beautyberry. Callicarpa dichotoma is usually smaller than the American species, smaller shrub, smaller leaves, smaller berries that tend toward lavender/ violet rather than the magenta/ purple of the American species. In my garden I currently have American beautyberry, C. dichotoma, and C. dichotoma "Leucocarpa", which has white fruit. The beautyberry that I saw at the fair may have been a cultivar of C. dichotoma, but I still think it was a cultivar of the American beautyberry from what I remember. The fruit was much darker than typical beautyberry fruit of any of the species that I have seen.

Could it be either of these? I see there are colors listed in the common names and the photo I saw had dark berries.

Callicarpa acuminata - Black Beautyberry, Mexican Beautyberry - Shrub

Callicarpa acuminata 'Woodlanders' - 'Woodlanders' Mexican Beautyberry - Also sold as: Callicarpa acuminata 'Woodlanders Red' and Callicarpa acuminata 'Texas Maroon' - Shrub

Pam

Pam, judging from the picture I saw on the web, I think that's it! Thanks.

Welcome! :)

Quote from Foothills in Mt Airy, "Last year, I began growing Callicarpa acuminata ÂWoodlanderÂs  Huge raspberry-purple fruits in clusters along stems of large wooly leaves make this beautyberry one that demands attention. Listed as Zone 8Â10, ours survived last winter and is performing nicely. Perhaps winter protection is the key."

Here is a link that might be useful: Quote from Foothills

I have got to get a hold of one of these now. The color of the fruit is very striking. I also saw from that letter that I have C. japonica "Leucocarpa", not C. dichotoma. I'm almost positive the purple one I've got is dichotoma.

I found this web site with a nice selection of pictures...

Here is a link that might be useful: Lazy S

Scroll down to callicarpa for the pictures of beautyberries

byrd
i've been delightfully lost in the Lazy S website this chilly morning; in fact, there's so much information there it should have me lost for many mornings to come. i love the "artistic renditions" of their nursery photos. a truly wonderful site from a zone 7 perspective - thanks for posting it.
marsha

My Beautyberry
Here on my property in Okie, I have a native snowberry that looks very much like it's cousin, the Beautyberry, but it is a deep fuschia pink. Loses its leaves in winter but the bright berries stay on the branches from August thru Spring and remain bright. They are actually drupes, not berries. They can withstand zone 3. Common name is Coral Berry and AKA 'Indian Current', but the botanical name is Symphoricarpos orbiculatus, a close cousin to the Beautyberry. Just gorgeous. Low growth, seldom taller than 3-4 feet and of same width, but needs to be checked but periodically cutting the runners. It is not hard to keep in check. Not terrible invasive. Makes a lovely low growing hedge, but I prefer its wild, natural shape.
I have a photo of one group of them shrouded in heavy snow along the southern fence and another of a plant coated in ice along the northern fence boundary. Beautiful in Fall and Winter.

The pink snowberry is being destroyed and is disappearing as native lands in Oklahoma and Texas continue to be cultivated, but is starting to get some recognition in some areas of the coountry and are beginning to be sold for "unique" landscaping plants. A Beautiful addition to any landscape, espcially where winter color and texture would be welcome.
~Annie
SweetAnnie

Annie, that shrub might be quite a find for us in NC since we seem to be within its outer limit of zone 7. Do any of you carolinians grow this hot pink, berrie-on-the-branches-all-winter beauty?

I'd love to see those icy, snowy pix when you get a chance. And, 'drupe' ought to be posted as a future 'word of the day'...it's a new one on me.

claire in sanford

That is so weird. I was just this morning looking at this plant on eBay.

Here is a link that might be useful: Amethyst® Coralberry COLOR CHOICE PROVEN WINNER!

Where's nativegirl nancedar on this one? Can we actually grow this beauty? Is it a proven winner in our area...zone 7a or b? I would love those those pinkish berries 'druping' all over my winter landscape.

It can be grown here. I believe I saw it at Logan's yesterday.

I read the article on eBay. Funny how they are marketing it as a "NEW" plant. It is a native North American shrub. Well, I am glad it is becoming popular enough that it will prevent it from becoming extinct, at least for now. I will post my pictures for you to see how it looks in snow and ice. So pretty. I've been using branches to decorate for Thanksgiving and Christmas for the past 20 years, since moving to Okie. It is what I call the perfect cranberry color, so looks great in Holiday decorations.
Glad you like it too.
~Annie

I can't find the close-up of the snowberry in snow, but here are a couple of photos:

Snowberries or Coral berry coated with ice. Everything was coated in ice and looked crystaline. There is a little dusting of snow in the photo, but the next day, the storm dumped 3 feet of snow on top of that ice. Beautiful but treacherous.
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Snowberries growing along the fence were buried in snow but their bright pink was beautiful through the snow. I can't find the close-up so you can see, darn it! Use your imagination. Some years the drupes are much bigger and grow more thickly on the branches.
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They are amazing, Annie! As much as I hate to admit it, winter can be so beautiful. From past experience though, in Buffalo and Boston, the fantasy and novelty wear off real quick.

Thanks for posting those pix. I think I see the Ice Princess dancing behind your hedge.

peace, claire in sanford

Just breathtaking photos, Amnnie, but I am with Claire - my favorite view of snow and ice is from a photo.

i've got a callicarpa dichotoma "issai" (a lowes special) that has done beautifully in spite of me. i love that coralberry, and read a little about it yesterday - the amethyst coralberry brenda called our attention to produces its berries in midsummer, according to the limited info i found. i'm wondering if annie's, the true native, produces its berries much later so that they're around in the dead of winter? or, if both types produce berries early and just hang on to them for a long time. geesh, i hope this makes sense.
marsha

You are correct Marsha. The wild species makes berries in summer which last through winter til late Spring when they begin to shrivel and dry and fall off when the weather turns warmer and they plant begins to make new ones. They last a very long time. Just more showy in fall and winter against the stark landscape.
I do not water or cultivate them nor feed them, so maybe the berries would be bigger and thicker if I did.
And too, the wild ones are probably a little different. I like them because they don't require any pampering.
~Annie

I noticed today that the berries on my Callicarpia (I don't know the variety, and it isn't in my logbook) are very dark purple this year. They are normally rather pinkish/coral, but this year they are as dark purple as a jar of grape juice. They have never been this color before. Could the color be affected by growing conditions or the age of the plant?

Are those snowberries hard to grow from seed Annie? I know the beautyberries are easy. They sure do look like something worth trying.
Dana

Bob,
TriangleJohn said something about the color of the berries differing from year to year, so maybe that's the case with your plant. The berries on my beautyberry always look about the same color to me, magenta/purple that darkens as they age.

Funny how this plant keeps popping up. I just spotted it thumbing thru Oct05 Fine Gardening as recommended for low light and moisture conditions under trees. Guess I need a snowberry.

Dana,
I don't know how well Snowberries grow from seed, but I can send you some to try, if you want. I have never planted any. They just grow wild on my property, and I let 'em.

Annie

Annie, I would love to give them a try. If they grow, I can spread them around here via swaps. If you send me your address I'll send a SASE out to you - unless you would rather trade for something. I don't know when the berries are ready, but whenever they are that would be great. Dana

The JC Raulston Arboretum has one of these Black or Mexican beautyberries! It's next to the stairs that descends from the terrace to the sidewalk where the pool/ waterfalls are, overlooking the west garden.

Since this thread was resurrected, I've gotta rave about an antique-looking callicarpa americana in a nearby yard...huge yet graceful, loaded with deep purple clusters...a stunner for purple lovers...the absolute ultimate in late fall beauty!

Mr. Huff, whereever you are, thank you for your mini arboretum...you live on there!

I saw that black berried form at the arb the other day and was wondering if that was freeze damage or normal coloring.

I did see plenty of wild beautyberry on my big drive out west last month - even found a patch of gold leaved ones in Arkansas.

Dana - if Annie hasn't sent you any berries I brought some back from my parents place. They have to go through two winters to sprout. I'm gonna try nicking some of the seed coat off to try and speed things up. The hybrid Snowberries that are for sale this season do have a better look overall than the wild form. And once established the wild form is hard to weed out - very tough roots and stems, even though the plant looks delicate.