Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) is part of a genus of shrubs and small trees in the family Verbenaceae.
Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) is part a genus of shrubs and small trees in the family Verbenaceae; between 40-150 species are accepted by different botanists. They are native to east and southeast Asia (where the majority of the species occur), Australia, southeast North America and Central America. The temperate species are deciduous, the tropical species evergreen. The leaves are simple, opposite, and 5-25 cm long. The flowers are in clusters, white to pinkish. The fruit is a berry, 2-5 mm diameter and pink to red-purple with a highly distinctive metallic lustre, are very conspicuous in clusters on the bare branches after the leaves fall. The berries last well into the winter or dry season and are an important survival food for birds and other animals, though they will not eat them until other sources are depleted. The berries are highly astringent, and considered unfit for human use. Callicarpa species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Endoclita malabaricus and Endoclita undulifer. In 19th century America, women used the juice of the beautyberry as a cosmetic, applied to the cheeks like rouge, hence the name "beautyberry".
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Keywords: americana, beautyberry, callicarpa, cosmetics, natural, rouge, verbenaceae
