Coralberry is a native dense suckering deciduous shrub in the Caprifoliaceae (honeysuckle) family. Grows to 2 to 4 feet tall and 3 to 6 feet wide with graceful arching stems. It is commonly found in forests or natural areas of bottomland woods of eastern and central USA. This easy to grow shrub in average well-drained soils of various types. Coralberry prefers full to partial sun, moist to dry conditions and loamy or rocky soil. While the leaves are an attractive bright green, the greenish white flowers are not showy. They are however followed by attractive pink-purple fruits. Coralberry is colonial and it needs more than one genetic strain to fruit. Propagate the plant through semi-hardwood cuttings. If spreading is not desired then remove the underground stems (rhizomes). This is a great shrub for naturalized areas or an informal shrub border. Use this native it as a groundcover and plant it on a slope for erosion control. Its dense branching growth provides cover and the flowers and fruits provide food attracting a wide variety of wildlife. Its unique shredded bark provides winter interest in the landscape. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: It has weedy tendencies. This plant is heavily browsed by deer.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt); Sand; Shallow Rocky
Soil pH
Alkaline (>8.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry
Available space
3 feet-6 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 2 ft. 0 in. - 4 ft. 0 in. | Width: 3 ft. 0 in. - 6 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Medium
Canopy layer
3 - Shrub (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Arching; Dense; Erect
Texture
Medium
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Opposite
Leaf shape
Elliptical; Ovate
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf size
1-3 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
1-2 inches long and 1 to 1.25 inches across oval green leaves with rolled margins and rounded to broadly pointed tips. Undersurface is whitish with hairs. Petioles are 1/4 long, leaf venation is pinnate. Reddish fall color.
Fall color
Red/Burgundy
Flower color
Green; Insignificant; White
Flower form
Spike
Flower shape
Bell
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
The bell-shaped 1/4" flowers with a tubular corolla with 5 lobes appear in summer in clusters at leaf axils and in terminal spikes. Not particularly showy. Blooms from late spring to early summer.
Bloom time
Spring; Summer
Fruit color
Purple/Lavender; Red/Burgundy; White
Fruit type
Drupe
Fruit size
< 1 inch long
Fruit detail
Clusters of 1/4 inch long red-purple round berry-like drupes with two seeds appear in autumn and persist through the winter. Displays from September to December.
Bark color
Dark Brown
Bark detail
Lower branches have strips of brown loose shaggy bark
Stem color
Brown/Copper; Purple/Lavender
Stem detail
Brown to red-purple branchlets covered with short hairs
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Southeastern and central U.S.A.
Distribution
AL, AR, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, NE, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WI, WV
Wildlife value
Songbirds, ground birds, small mammals, and browsers like white tailed deer use this plant for food, cover, and nesting sites. Various moths use this as a host plant. Necatar from the flowers attract bees, wasps, and flies.