Cross Timbers, East Central Texas Plains, Edwards Plateau, Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes, Texas Blackland Prairies, Western Gulf Coastal Plain
Eastern Cross Timbers, Grand Prairie, Limestone Cut Plain
Bastrop Lost Pines, Floodplains and Low Terraces2, Northern Post Oak Savanna, Northern Prairie Outliers, San Antonio Prairie, Southern Post Oak Savanna
Balcones Canyonlands
Floodplains and Low Terraces4, Lower Rio Grande Alluvial Floodplain, Mid-Coast Barrier Islands and Coastal Marshes, Northern Humid Gulf Coastal Prairies, Southern Subhumid Gulf Coastal Prairies, Texas-Louisiana Coastal Marshes
Floodplains and Low Terraces1, Northern Blackland Prairie, Southern Blackland Prairie
Flatwoods, Floodplains and Low Terraces3, Pleistocene Fluvial Terraces, Red River Bottomlands, Southern Tertiary Uplands, Tertiary Uplands
Plant Characteristics
Growth Form
Shrub
Height
4
to
6
ft.
Spread
4
to
6
ft.
Leaf Retention
Deciduous
Lifespan
Perennial
Habitat and Care Requirements
Soil Type(s)
Sand, Loam, Clay, Well Drained, Moist, Dry, Neutral
Light Requirement
Shade
Water Requirement
Low, Medium
Native Habitat
Woodland
Bloom and Attraction
Bloom Color
White, Pink
Bloom Season
Summer
Seasonal Interest
Berry, Nectar
Wildlife Benefit
Butterflies, Birds
Maintenance
Needs moisture and deep soil. Winter: The natural shape is a loose and graceful arching form. Prune only errant branches and to control size if space is an issue. Propagation: Seed, Root cuttings.
Comments
Blooms May-July. Great understory shrub. Striking clusters of glossy, iridescent-purple fruit (sometimes white) in fall and winter. Native habitat, woods, bottom lands, thickets. Fall and Winter fruit is an important food source for many species of birds. Foliage is a favorite of white-tailed deer.
Previous Scientific Name(s): Synonym/s: Callicarpa americana var. lactea
References
1) Griffith, Bryce, Omernick & Rodgers (2007). Ecoregions of Texas. 2) https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=CAAM2. 3) https://portal.torcherbaria.org/portal/taxa/index.php?taxon=Callicarpa+americana&formsubmit=Search+Terms. 4) http://bonap.net/TDC/Image/Map?taxonType=Species&taxonId=13314&locationType=County&mapType=Normal. 5) Miller, George O., Landscaping with Native Plants of Texas 2nd Ed., 2013, pg 48. 6) Wasowski and Wasowski, Native Texas Plants Landscaping Region by Region, 1991, pg. 235. 7) https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=32144#null, 8) Native and Adapted Landscape Plants, City of Austin and Texas A&M, 2014.
Download / Print
Download a 1 page PDF file for this plant, suitable for sharing, printing, and plant sales. Includes an ecoregion map, and a QR code back to this page.
Downloading PDFs only works on desktop browsers
Favorites
You can favorite this plant and others and maintain a list of your favorite native plants below. You can also unfavorite a plant and clear your list. Click on a plant to go to it.