Description
About: American beautyberry ‘Issai’ generally grows 3-5 ‘ tall & is about as wide as it is tall. It can reach a height of 9’. It has long, loose, gracefully arching branches & can be considered sprawling by some. It bears the most striking glossy pink fruit in clusters that hug the branches at leaf axils; like tiny pinkish-purple bubbles clinging to the stem at each node. Fruit is borne in the fall & winter & is a favorite of birds. The berries are used to make jellies & the roots are used for herbal tea. The leaves & berries contain callicarpenal which has been reportedly proven effective in tests as a mosquito repellent. People have been known to rub the leaves or crushed berries on their skin to ward off the biting insects. More of a weeper in habit, its stems arch over, and the small leaves are held in tandem along the branches.
