Bodinier Beautyberry Callicarpa bodinieri
Other Common Name(s):
Previously known as:
- Calliarpa bodinieri var. giraldii
- Phonetic Spelling
- kal-ee-KAR-puh boh-din-ee-ER-ee
- Description
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Bodinier's beautyberry is an upright deciduous shrub in the Lamiaceae (mint) family that produces showy purple fruit in the fall. It is a native of Southern China and Indochina. The genus, Callicarpa, is Greek and means beautiful fruit. The species name, bodinieri, is named after Emile Maire Bodinier. She was a French missionary and botanist in China in the 19th century,
The shrub may grow from 6 to 10 feet in height and has slender upright branches. The leaves are green, and in the fall the leaves turn a golden yellow. Clusters of lilac-colored flowers blossom from June to August on the new growth of the shrub. Clusters of violet-purple berries appear afterward and form a whorl around the stem. They ripen by September and will remain on the shrub after the leaves have dropped. They provide a showy fall display until early winter.
Bodinier's beautyberry is tolerant of the cold and it prefers well-drained soil as well as full sun to improve fruit production. The shrub is best planted in small groupings to ensure better pollination. The shrub attracts bees, butterflies, and birds. The fruits are bitter, and wildlife tends to avoid them unless all other food sources have been depleted. Bodinier's beautyberry is best pruned in late winter or early spring to remove the oldest stems. The flowers and fruit appear on the new growth of the shrub.
"Profusion' is the most common cultivar of Callicarpa bodinier var. giraldii and won the Award of Garden Merit of the Royal Horticultural Society. It can grow to 10 feet in height and has pale pink flowers and dark violet fruits. The leaves emerge bronze in the spring, dark green in the summer, and golden purple in the fall. This cultivar produces more fruit than other species.
This shrub is best suited for informal gardens, meadows, mass plantings, and woodlands. The beautiful colorful fruits add interest to the landscape in the fall.
Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: The shrub is generally disease and pest free, but it can be susceptible to leaf spot, stem disease, and black mold.
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- 'Profusion'
bronze new growth, pale pink flowers, dark violet fruit
- 'Profusion'
- 'Profusion'
- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
-
- 'Profusion'
bronze new growth, pale pink flowers, dark violet fruit
- 'Profusion'
- 'Profusion'
- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Callicarpa
- Species:
- bodinieri
- Family:
- Lamiaceae
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Woody
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Stem Cutting
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Southern China to Indo-China
- Distribution:
- Cambodia, China Southcentral, China Southeast, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam
- Wildlife Value:
- Attracts bees, butterflies, and birds and seldom damaged by deer.
- Play Value:
- Attracts Pollinators
- Wildlife Food Source
- Edibility:
- Not poisonous but bitter taste
- Dimensions:
- Height: 6 ft. 0 in. - 10 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 4 ft. 0 in. - 8 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Perennial
- Shrub
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Habit/Form:
- Erect
- Open
- Rounded
- Growth Rate:
- Medium
- Maintenance:
- Low
- Texture:
- Medium
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- 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
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Alkaline (>8.0)
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Moist
- Available Space To Plant:
- 6-feet-12 feet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Blue
- Purple/Lavender
- Fruit Value To Gardener:
- Long-lasting
- Showy
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Fall
- Fruit Type:
- Berry
- Fruit Length:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Width:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Description:
- The fruits are a cluster of glossy purple berries. Each berry is about 1/8 -1/6 inches in diameter. They ripen in September and are more prominent after the leaves drop from the shrub. The berries remain on the shrub until late fall and early winter. The 'Profusion' cultivar's berries are a large cluster of 30-40 violet colored berries.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Blue
- Pink
- Purple/Lavender
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Cyme
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Summer
- Flower Size:
- 1-3 inches
- Flower Description:
- The flowers are a cluster of lilac-colored blooms about 1.5 inched in diameter. They appear on the leaf axils in June through August, blooming on the new growth of the shrub. The 'Profusion' cultivar's flowers are pale pink blooms.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Leaf Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Green
- Purple/Lavender
- Deciduous Leaf Fall Color:
- Purple/Lavender
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Opposite
- Leaf Shape:
- Elliptical
- Ovate
- Leaf Margin:
- Serrate
- Hairs Present:
- Yes
- Leaf Length:
- 3-6 inches
- Leaf Width:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Description:
- The leaves are green, simple, and elliptic to ovate in shape. They are pubescent with pointed tips and serrated margins. They turn golden yellow in the fall. The 'Profusion' cultivar's leaves emerge bronze in the spring, turn dark green in the summer, and golden purple in the fall.
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Stem:
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Form:
- Straight
- Stem Surface:
- Hairy (pubescent)
- Stem Description:
- The stems are slender, arching, and downy covered.
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Meadow
- Woodland
- Landscape Theme:
- Butterfly Garden
- Cottage Garden
- Cutting Garden
- Pollinator Garden
- Design Feature:
- Border
- Mass Planting
- Attracts:
- Bees
- Butterflies
- Pollinators
- Songbirds
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Deer
