French Mulberry

French Mulberry (callicarpa americana) is also known as American Beauty Berry.
They become heavy with clusters of purple berries in early Fall.

They can easily be found in the wild. We received one from a friend and have propagated many more around our yard.
They grow well in the shade of tree canopies as well as in direct sun. They tolerate most kinds of soil and are drought resistant.

The following information was found on the Internet:

French Mulberry roots, leaves and branches were used by the Alabama, Choctaw, Creek, Koasati, Seminole and other Native American tribes for medicinal purposes, including in sweat baths to treat both malarial fevers and rheumatism. The boiled plant parts were poured into a big pan that was placed near the patient inside a sweathouse. A similar decoction of the roots was used to treat dizziness and stomach aches. The roots were boiled with roots from Rubus spp. to make an infusion to treat dysentery. The roots and berries were boiled and drunk to treat colic. The bark from the stems and roots was used to treat itchy skin.

Some web sites say that French Mulberry requires some direct sun, and good soil and that it should be fertilized and watered. This is hard to believe for two reason: (1) It grows in the wild with none of these things, and (2) while most of the ones in our yard are in our sprinkler system, most are in full shade and have never been fertilized or even mulched.

Here is one which is under several other trees/bushes, in unimproved soil, and is never watered:

In case there is any question about whether deer eat French Mulberries, here's a buck
dining on one (Sept.12, 2009). (Sorry for the fuzziness; it was late and poor light.)