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Callicarpa japonica

Japanese beautyberry

Lamiaceae Japan, Korea, eastern China, Taiwan

Attracts Pollinators Attracts Butterflies Deer Resistant Drought Tolerant Container Friendly

SunFull Sun – Part Shade

WaterMedium · drought-tolerant

HardinessZones 5–8

Overview

Callicarpa japonica is a deciduous shrub reaching 4-6 feet (1.2-1.8 m) tall and wide, with slender arching stems rising from a clumping base. Leaves are opposite, elliptic to obovate, 2-5 inches (5-12 cm) long, finely toothed, drawn out to a long tip, and nearly hairless on both surfaces; they turn pale yellow in October before dropping. Flowers are 0.15 inch (3-4 mm) across, pale pink to white, held in axillary clusters 1-1.5 inches (2.5-4 cm) wide in June and July. Fruit is a violet-purple drupe 0.15-0.2 inch (3-5 mm) across, carried in tight clusters at the leaf axils along the length of each stem, colouring in September and holding after the leaves fall until birds strip it between November and February. The form Leucocarpa carries white fruit. Flowers and fruit form on the current season's growth, so stems cut back to 6-12 inches (15-30 cm) in late winter still fruit that autumn. Fruit set falls away on isolated plants, and two or more plants within 15 feet (4.5 m) carry heavier clusters. Stems are killed back to the crown near -20F (-29C) and regrow to full height in one season.

Native Range

Callicarpa japonica is native to Japan, Korea, eastern China, and Taiwan, where it grows on woodland margins, in scrub, and along stream banks in hill country below 3,300 feet (1,000 m). It was introduced to Western gardens in the 1840s and is grown across temperate Europe and North America. Plants have naturalized locally in parts of the southeastern United States without spreading widely.

Suggested Uses

Planted in groups of three or more at 4-5 foot (1.2-1.5 m) spacing in shrub borders and on woodland edges across USDA zones 5-8, where the autumn fruit sits above lower plantings. Cut stems in fruit hold their berries for 10-14 days indoors. Berries feed mockingbirds, robins, and finches from November into late winter, once frost has softened them.

How to Identify

Fruit clusters sit tight against the stem at the leaf axils in violet-purple, spaced along the whole shoot rather than gathered at the tips. Leaves are opposite, 2-5 inches (5-12 cm) long with a long tapering tip and nearly hairless surfaces, against the grey-felted leaves of Callicarpa bodinieri and the smaller 1-3 inch (2.5-8 cm) leaves of C. dichotoma. Stems are slender and arch outward from a clumping base rather than standing stiffly upright. Flowers in June are 0.15 inch (3-4 mm) across in pale pink clusters at the leaf axils.

Appearance

Size & Dimensions

Height4' - 6'

Width/Spread4' - 6'

Reaches mature size in approximately 5 years

Colors

Flower Colors

Foliage Colors

Fall Foliage Colors

Bloom Information

Bloom Period

~4 weeks

Summer

Flowering runs 3-4 weeks in June and July, on shoots made earlier the same season. Each cluster holds 20-40 flowers 0.15 inch (3-4 mm) across, opening over about 10 days. Bees and small butterflies work the flowers, and the resulting fruit colours from September. Plants set little fruit when grown singly, while groups of three or more within 15 feet (4.5 m) carry heavier clusters.

Detailed Descriptions

Flower Description

Pale pink to white

Foliage Description

Mid green turning pale yellow in autumn

Growing Conditions

Sun Requirements

SunFull Sun SunPartial Shade

Requires 4-10 hours of direct sunlight daily

• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight

• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight

• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight

Soil Requirements

pH Range5.5 - 7.5(Neutral)

357912

Soil Types

loam clay sand

Drainagewell drained

Water & Climate

Water Needs

Medium

Frost Tolerance

hardy

Time to Maturity

3-4 years

Drought Tolerance

Drought tolerant when established

Care & Maintenance

Care Guide

Fruit set is heaviest at 6 or more hours of direct sun, while plants in shade below 4 hours grow leggy and carry scattered berries. Soils from sand to clay at pH 5.5-7.5 are tolerated, with free drainage counting for more than fertility. Water at 1 inch (25 mm) per week through the first two seasons; established plants hold through 3-4 weeks of dry weather, though leaves droop by mid-afternoon above 90F (32C). Fertilizer is generally unnecessary, and nitrogen raises leaf size while lowering fruit numbers. Few pests trouble the species, and root rot follows on ground that stays saturated through winter. Stems die back to the crown near -20F (-29C) and regrow to full height in a single season.

Pruning

Cutting all stems to 6-12 inches (15-30 cm) in late winter, before growth resumes, renews the plant each year, and flowers and fruit follow on the new shoots the same season. Plants left uncut reach 6 feet (1.8 m) as a thicket of older stems carrying smaller fruit clusters. Taking a third of the oldest stems out at the base each year is an alternative that holds more height through winter. Cuts made after growth starts in April remove the flowering wood for that year.

Pruning Schedule

early spring