Japanese Beautyberry (Callicarpa mollis) — identification, habitat & look-alikes

Japanese Beautyberry (Callicarpa mollis) is a shrub native to Korea and Japan that loses its leaves in fall. The round fruits ripen purple, and the leaves have soft hairs, especially underneath. The smoother-leaved Japanese beautyberry (Callicarpa japonica) shares the same English name.

Appearance

Growth form: This deciduous shrub has soft hairs on its young twigs and leaves.
Leaves: The paired leaves feel velvety, especially underneath.
Flowers: Small pale purple flowers grow close to the leaf bases and can be partly hidden by the leaves.
Fruit: Round fruits ripen purple.

Look-alikes

Japanese beautyberryCallicarpa japonica

Feel the leaves when possible: this species is softly fuzzy, while Japanese beautyberry has much smoother leaves. Flowers on this species can hide below the leaves; those of Japanese beautyberry show more clearly above them.

Why they get mixed upThe two species share an English common name and purple fruit.

Purple beautyberryCallicarpa dichotoma

Purple beautyberry (Callicarpa dichotoma) often carries showy fruit clusters, but its leaves can also have hairs. Check the very soft leaf texture of this species and avoid deciding from fruit alone.

Why they get mixed upBoth are purple-fruited beautyberries seen in collections and gardens.

Three purple-fruited beautyberries

	Leaves	Flowers or fruit
Japanese Beautyberry	Softly fuzzy	Flowers can hide below leaves
Japanese beautyberry	Less fuzzy	Flowers show above leaves
Purple beautyberry	May also have hairs	Showy clusters; fruit alone is not enough

Where it lives

Typical habitats: Botanical gardens
Range: Native to Korea and Japan.

Name and classification

About the name: Also called fuzzy beautyberry.

Conservation

IUCN Red List: NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed

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