Purple Beauty-berry Callicarpa dichotoma x kwangtungensis
Other Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- kal-ee-KAR-pah dy-KOH-toh-mah kwang-tung-EN-sis
- Description
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Beautyberry, a fast-growing perennial, is a lovely ornamental shrub in mass plantings, borders and even container plantings with its display of summer flowers and fall berries. Pearl GlamTM lives up to its trade name, putting on a spectacular show in the fall with glamorous bright violet pearls adorning dark purple foliage. A great Halloween plant! Developed at our own NCSU Mountain Crop Improvement Lab, in conjunction with Spring Meadow Nursery, Pearl Glam is an advanced hybrid between Callicarpa dichotoma and C. kwangtungensis, with an upright form, purple-tinged foliage and an early, prolific fruiting display. The seeds are not fertile so no new plants will germinate in your yard. This shrub can be pruned back to 6” in early spring to promote compactness and encourage new wood, which supports greater blooming. Shrubs can become leggy in too much shade.
Callicarpa comes from the Greek meaning “beautiful fruit”
Seasons of Interest:
Foliage: Spring-Fall Bloom: Summer Fruit: Fall-Winter, Berry
Insects, Diseases and Other Problems: Relatively insect and disease free. Some of the diseases that affect Callicarpa include leaf spot (Atractilina callicarpae) and black mold (Meliola cookeana).
VIDEO Created by Elizabeth Meyer for "Trees, Shrubs and Conifers" a plant identification course offered in partnership with Longwood Gardens.
- Profile Video:
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Pearl Glam™
extravagant purple fruit and slightly darker purple foliage - Purple Pearls
extravagant purple fruit and purple foliage,distinctive pink flower
- Pearl Glam™
- Pearl Glam™, Purple Pearls
- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
-
- Pearl Glam™
extravagant purple fruit and slightly darker purple foliage - Purple Pearls
extravagant purple fruit and purple foliage,distinctive pink flower
- Pearl Glam™
- Pearl Glam™, Purple Pearls
- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Callicarpa
- Species:
- dichotoma × kwangtungensis
- Family:
- Lamiaceae
- Uses (Ethnobotany):
- Native American tribes used the native plant’s (Callicarpa americana) roots, leaves and branches for medicinal purposes. In the early 1900’s, farmers would crush the native plant’s leaves and place them under the harnesses of horses and mules, or rub the leaves on their arms, to repel mosquitoes and biting insects. Studies have shown that two compounds – callicarpenal and intermedeol – are responsible for the repellant properties.
- Life Cycle:
- Woody
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Stem Cutting
- Wildlife Value:
- Beautyberries are a wonderful plant for wildlife. In the spring, the white flowers attract bees and other insects. The purple berries have a high moisture content and are a food source for more than 40 species of birds.
- Particularly Resistant To (Insects/Diseases/Other Problems):
- This plant is seldom damaged by deer.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Shrub
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Habit/Form:
- Erect
- Rounded
- 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 Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 5b, 5a, 6b, 6a, 7b, 7a, 8b, 8a
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Fruit:
- Fruit Value To Gardener:
- Long-lasting
- Showy
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Fall
- Winter
- Fruit Length:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Description:
- Very showy lilac-violet fruit 1/8" diameter ripen in September and are showy through fall leaf drop and partially into winter
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Pink
- Purple/Lavender
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Cyme
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Summer
- Flower Description:
- Clusers of small pink to lavender cymes form in the leaf axils in the summer
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Purple/Lavender
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Opposite
- Leaf Shape:
- Elliptical
- Oblong
- Leaf Margin:
- Entire
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Description:
- Elliptic to oblong 1-3 inch leaves purple-green with dark purple veins.
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Stem:
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Walkways
- Woodland
- Landscape Theme:
- Children's Garden
- Winter Garden
- Design Feature:
- Border
- Hedge
- Mass Planting
- Attracts:
- Songbirds
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Deer
