Callicarpa japonica
Japanese Beautyberry
Verbenaceae
ExpandHabitat
- native to Japan
- hardy to zone 5
Habit and Form
- a multistemmed deciduous shrub
- 4' to 6' tall with an equal width
- shape is generally rounded
- branching is upright and arching over
Summer Foliage
- opposite, simple leaves
- leaves are elliptic with acuminate tips
- leaf margins are finely serrated
- leaves are 2" to 5" long
- leaves are 1.5" to 2" wide
- leaf color is medium green
Autumn Foliage
- yellow or greenish yellow with a purplish cast
- under the right sun exposure, plants can develop nearly pink or lavender fall color
Flowers
- small pale pink flowers in 1" to 1.5" clusters
- bloom time is July
- not showy and often largely obscured by the foliage
Fruit
- small metallic purple berries in rounded axillary clusters
- color develops in October
- fruit display is at its best after the leaves have dropped
- very showy in full fruit
- the quality of the fruit color is unrivaled
Bark
- stems are slender and bark development is not ornamentally important
Culture
- full sun to light shade
- easily transplanted
- grows rapidly
- prefers a well-drained soil, although relatively adaptable
- do not overfertilize as this will stimulate unwanted vegetative growth
- rejuvenate occasionally, especially following difficult winters
- fruit is produced on new growth
- regular pruning is a fact of life with this plant in order to keep the plant tidy
Landscape Use
- shrub borders
- in groupings and mass plantings
- useful for very showy fruit display
- can be treated as a semihardy shrub or herbaceous perennial
Liabilities
- when not in fruit it is an ordinary shrub without multiseason appeal
- lack of cold hardiness in zone 5
- needs regular pruning to remove winter injury and control rank growth
ID Features
- deciduous shrub with vigorous slender shoots
- metallic purple fruits in axillary clusters
- opposite leaves with serrate margins and acuminate tips
Propagation
- by cuttings
Cultivars/Varieties
'Leucocarpa' - Fruits are white instead of purple and the leaves are a lighter green than the species. Otherwise it is similar to the species. Fruit may turn brown earlier than purple-fruited forms.