Maritime Forests:
The Beauties and the Beasts
B
Story and photographs by Jane Ellis
eauties. No one who visits our Island can miss
the beautiful and interesting flowering plants
found in the maritime forest. Each has a story
to tell. In the fall along the parkway and bike
paths, we find American beautyberry (Callicarpa americana)
with masses of attractive violet to magenta berries in clusters
surrounding the bases of their large opposite leaves.
In June and July tiny fragrant white to pink flowers are
often overlooked—but not by pollinating insects. The long-
lasting fruits are important sources of food for a variety of
birds and small animals. Native American tribes used all
parts of the plant medicinally. Sweat baths using beautyberry
treated malaria fevers and rheumatism.
Decoctions of boiled roots and berries were given for
colic, dizziness, stomachaches, and urinary issues. It was
used dermatologically for itchy skin. The berries are not
toxic and are edible but very tart and have an astringent
aftertaste. Interestingly, recent scientific research has found
that callicarpenal, a natural compound found in American
beautyberry, is a strong repellent against mosquitoes, ticks,
and fire ants.
Coral bean, Cherokee bean, or red cardinal, (Erythrina
herbacea) is another plant gracing our walkways and paths.
These common thorny shrubs have triangularly shaped
leaflets and numerous bright red tubular flowers (actually
“florets”) from May to July that hummingbirds love. In the
early fall, bright scarlet seeds are produced and constricted in
pods. These pods can stay on the plants for months.
Even though its poisonous bark and seeds contain
“curare-like” alkaloids, that if taken internally can be fatal,
some Native American tribes used decoctions made of
different parts of the plant (including the beans and bark) as
a body rub for numbness and pain and to treat nausea and
constipation. The Choctaw used decoctions of the leaves as a
general tonic. It is a good idea to keep children and pets away
from this plant.
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Naturally Kiawah