Maleberry
Lyonia ligustrina
73
Strong
Native to Alabama. How scores work Is it native here?
Profile 100%
- Height
- 6–12 feet
- Spread
- 6–12 feet
- Light
- Full sun, Partial shade
- Soil moisture
- Usually moist
Space about 9 ft apart from its recorded spread. Enter your bed size for a count
Will it fit your yard?
At a glance
- Life cycle
- Woody perennial
- Leaves
- Deciduous or evergreen
- Bloom
- Spring
- Fruiting season
- Spring to winter
Recorded in 35 Alabama counties.
Ecological relationships
Who uses this plant?
14CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AL
Genus host records with ranges including AL · Lyonia
- Argyrostrotis quadrifilarisFour-Lined Chocolate, Hickory Leafroller
- Argyrostrotis sylvarumWoodland Chocolate
- Catocala andromedaeAndromeda Underwing
- Cecrita biundataWavy-Lined Heterocampa
- Datana majorMajor Datana, Azalea Caterpillar
- Datana ministraYellow-Necked Caterpillar Moth
- Datana ranaecepsPost-Burn Datana
- Megalopyge opercularisSouthern Flannel Moth, Puss Caterpillar
- Nola pustulataSharp-Blotched Nola
- Pangrapta decoralisDecorated Owlet
Show all 14
- Paonias astylusHuckleberry Sphinx
- Tallula watsoniWatson's Tallula
- Xestia elimataSouthern Variable Dart, Southern Pine Dart
- Zomaria rosaochreanaYellow-Striped Zomaria
19BeesSoutheastern regional records
Southeastern regional records · Lyonia
Individual names are not available yet.
Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
4Specialist beesPollen specialists
Pollen specialists · Lyonia
- Andrena kalmiae
- Colletes productus
- Melitta melittoides
- Perdita novaeangliae
No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects
Growing and identification
Plant details
- Family
- Ericaceae
- Hardiness
- Zones 6a–9b
- Soil pH
- Acidic
- Flower color
- Pink or white
- Foliage color
- Green
- Fruit begins
- Spring
- Fruit ends
- Winter
What its natural habitat tells you
Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.
Growing sources and scope
- Bloom · “Spring” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Flower color · “Pink or white” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs)
- Foliage color · “Green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Fruit begins · “Spring” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Fruit ends · “Winter” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Hardiness · “Zones 6a–9b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Height · “6–12 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs)
- Leaves · “Deciduous or evergreen” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Life cycle · “Woody perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Light · “Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Soil · “Moist; Occasionally wet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Soil pH · “Acidic” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Spread · “6–12 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Conservation status
| Alabama rank | SNR |
|---|---|
| Global rank | G5 |
| AL status | Not verified |
| Federal status | Not verified |
In your garden
Will it fit your yard?
Check this plant against your county, sun and soil moisture. Conditions are checked in your browser.
Choose a county to begin.
Sources
- Alabama Plant Atlas
- USDA PLANTS
- Vascular Plants of North Carolina (NC Natural Heritage Program)
- NatureServe Explorer
- Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
- Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)
- Narango, Tallamy & Shropshire 2020, Few keystone plant genera support the majority of Lepidoptera species, Nature Communications

