Callicarpa americana 'Atropurpurea' (American Beautyberry)

Callicarpa americana, commonly called beautyberry, American beautyberry, or French mulberry, is a deciduous shrub native to forest edges, moist slopes, bluff tops, woodland openings, swamp margins, and fence rows in the southeastern United States, northern Mexico, Bermuda, Cuba, the Bahamas and other islands in the West Indies. Mature plants will reach around 3-5' tall with a similar spread. They have an open growth habit and arching branches. The oppositely arrange, ovate to elliptic foliage has serrated margins and ranges from 2-9" long and 0.75-5" wide. The small, light pink to purple or blue tinged flowers bloom in dense, axillary clusters and develop bright, violet to magenta (rarely white) fruits. The fruits are showy and persistent, ripening around mid-fall, and are eaten by birds, squirrels, and other wildlife.

Genus name comes from Greek meaning beautiful fruit.