Yesterday I mentioned seeing a bush with berries that were an otherworldly color of purple.Overnight one of my favorite Southern Belles, the soon to be in Texas, Miss Lulu, identified the purple berries as being from a Beautyberry Bush.
So, now I know what it is. I looked up Beautyberry Bush. The berries are edible, but not very tasty. Birds don't like them, so the berries stay on the bushes unmolested. I think I'll taste one when next I see one.
4 comments:
Durango!!! Your information about the birds not liking the berries is INCORRECT. They LOVE them. None of my bushes have any berries left each year. Perhaps you should do a fact check, dahlink.
Latin name is Callicarpa americanus. ox
But I did extensive research on the Beautyberry bush. I based my birds not liking the berries on this...
"The berries attract birds, as well as provide winter color. Although the berries are edible, they aren't the most desired food of birds and often hang on the bush into late winter. The foliage turns an attractive yellow in fall."
I got that from this website...
http://www.garden.org/plantguide/?q=show&id=2134
But, I'm guessing you are correct and those garden.org people are wrong. Or maybe they have some bad tasting beauty berries.
I think they are right and so I am. My avian friends LOVE them. maybe they are migrating birds...or southeastern birds like them...tweet tweet xo lulu
Well, I was reading your blog and wanted to help clarify. You convinced me I wouldn't die if I ate a few beautyberries, so I tried it. I don't know what the birds are thinking, but these aren't bitter to me. They're by far not sweet, either. They're the most tasteless thing I've ever put in my mouth, though.... not good, not bad... just no taste. I would think for purely decorative and unique salads, you could put one beautyberry on the top side of eat salad plate for a special occasion. Wouldn't that make a cool edible for a salad? Tasteless or not, that's a neat idea!
~Angelady
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