Beauty Berries

Naturalist Sandy Steinman and outdoor photographer Philip Reedy just know what gifts to give during December … beauty berries.

In Sandy’s case, his gift included images of American Beautyberry (Callicarpus americana) and in Philip’s the Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia). Each plant unwraps vibrant color near the end of autumn.

Beautyberry is native to the southeast U.S., while Toyon is a California native. Beautyberry does best in moist thickets and woods, whereas Toyon thrives in California’s dry climate.

Crushed beautyberry leaves have been used as a folk remedy to prevent mosquito bites and the deep purple berries can be made into an edible jelly. While, Toyon became so popular as a table decoration in the 1920s that Los Angeles passed an ordinance prohibiting collecting it on public land and it got the nickname California holly.