beautyberry is a naturally occurring cross of two East Asian shrubs. Its leaves can look like either parent, so a fruit photo alone may not identify it.

Appearance

Growth form
It is a shrub.
Leaves
Leaf texture and hairiness can vary between the parent species.

Look-alikes

Japanese beautyberryCallicarpa japonica

Japanese beautyberry tends to have less hairy leaves. Hybrid plants vary, and a photo may not show enough to separate them confidently.

Why they get mixed upIt is one parent of this hybrid and is grown in U.S. gardens.

Fuzzy beautyberryCallicarpa mollis

Its leaves are soft and hairy. This hybrid may resemble it closely, so a leaf or fruit photo alone may not settle the name.

Why they get mixed upIt is the other parent and is grown in U.S. arboretums.

Hybrid beautyberry and its parents
LeavesFlowers or identification
Hybrid beautyberryVariable between parentsA photo may be inconclusive
Fuzzy beautyberrySoft, hairy leavesFlowers can hide below leaves
Japanese beautyberryLeaves much less fuzzyFlowers show more above leaves

Where it lives

Typical habitats
  • Sites where both parent species grow
Range
This hybrid is native to southern Korea and Japan.

Life cycle

Reproduction
It arises where Japanese beautyberry (Callicarpa japonica) and fuzzy beautyberry (Callicarpa mollis) grow together.

Name and classification

About the name
The × in the scientific name marks a hybrid.

Conservation

IUCN Red List
NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed
10 sources
  1. iNaturalist taxon API: Callicarpa × shirasawana
  2. POWO: Callicarpa × shirasawana
  3. 국가생물종목록: 개새비나무
  4. 국립수목원: English Names for Korean Native Plants
  5. Hybridization and introgression between Callicarpa japonica and C. mollis
  6. 오사카공립대 식물원 식물목록
  7. 森林総合研究所: ムラサキシキブ類の花
  8. AmeriNursery: Longwood Gardens Callicarpa trial
  9. Morris Arboretum Plant Catalogue
  10. Development of an image-assisted interactive key to Lamiaceae in Korea (name table)
Callicarpa × shirasawana — identification & habitat | Moeyo