Mark A. Miller
Family
Verbenaceae
Botanical Name
Callicarpa japonica 'Heavy Berry'
Plant Common Name
Japanese Beautyberry
General Description
True to its name, 'Heavy Berry' produces masses of vibrant violet berries that persist from late summer into early winter. It also features attractive foliage and a relatively compact habit. It is a cultivar of Callicarpa japonica, a small to medium-sized, hardy, deciduous shrub from woodlands of Japan, Taiwan, Korea, and eastern China.
The medium-green, puckered, oval leaves of 'Heavy Berry' are oppositely paired along slender, arching stems. The leaves have serrated edges and tapered tips. The foliage turns dull yellow in fall, sometimes taking on burgundy tints. In late spring or early summer, many-flowered clusters of small, white to purplish, four-lobed blooms appear in the leaf axils. They are followed by quantities of shiny, bead-like, lavender-mauve fruits that usually persist into winter if not consumed by birds. Like all Japanese beautyberries, 'Heavy Berry' flowers on first-year stems, and fruits most heavily when planted with other callicarpas.
Grow Japanese beautyberry in full to partial sun in well-drained, moderately fertile soil. This shrub becomes leggy and ungainly unless pruned back hard in early spring (plants may die back to the ground in USDA Zone 5 winters). Such pruning also maximizes flowering and fruiting by stimulating new growth. Use Japanese beautyberry for late-summer to early-winter color in a foundation planting, mixed shrub border, or woodland edge. It combines beautifully with other showy-fruited shrubs such as firethorn (Pyracantha) and deciduous hollies(Ilex decidua or Ilex verticillata).
Characteristics
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AHS Heat Zone
12 - 3
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USDA Hardiness Zone
5 - 8
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Sunset Zone
2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
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Plant Type
Shrub
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Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial Shade
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Height
4'-7' / 1.2m - 2.1m (5)
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Width
5'-8' / 1.5m - 2.4m (6)
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Bloom Time
Spring, Late Spring, Early Summer
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Native To
Eastern Asia, China, Japan, Korea
Ornamental Features
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Flower Interest
Showy
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Flower Color
White, Light Pink, Lavender
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Fruit Color
Violet
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Foliage Color (Spring)
Green, Light Green
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Foliage Color (Summer)
Green
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Foliage Color (Fall)
Yellow, Purple, Yellow Green, Burgundy
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Bark Color
Purple, Olive, Tan, Sandy Brown
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Fragrant Flowers
No
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Fragrant Fruit
No
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Fragrant Foliage
No
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Bark or Stem Fragrant
No
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Flower Petal Number
Single
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Repeat Bloomer
No
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Showy Fruit
Yes
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Edible Fruit
No
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Showy Foliage
No
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Foliage Texture
Medium
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Foliage Sheen
Matte
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Evergreen
No
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Showy Bark
No
