Leaf
Krzysztof Golik, Wikimedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
Bodinier's beautyberry
Callicarpa bodinieri H.Lév.
Also known as: Beautyberry
Family: Lamiaceae
1.5 to 3 m tall
Borders and informal hedges, free-draining soil; planted mainly for its autumn and winter interest
Flowering: June – July (small inconspicuous pink flowers); ornamental fruiting from October to December
Full sun
Part shade
Hardy to about -15°C
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
Its almost unreal violet berries stay on the bare twigs all winter — a colour so unusual in a plant that it looks retouched in photos.
🍃 Leaves
Deciduous, opposite, elliptic to lanceolate, toothed, mid-green turning purple in autumn
🌸 Flowers
Small, pink to lilac, in inconspicuous cymes in the leaf axils, easily overlooked
🍎 Fruits
Small bright violet round berries, very dense in tight clusters along the bare twigs, persisting all winter
🪵 Bark
Brownish-grey, slender twigs
🗺️ Distribution
Native to central China; widely planted in Europe as an ornamental shrub
🐝 Value for pollinators
Summer flowers rich in nectar, inconspicuous but visited by bees
✂️ Horticultural uses
Planted for its spectacular violet berries that cover the bare twigs in autumn and winter, once the foliage has fallen; the cultivar 'Profusion' is the most widespread
⚠️ Possible toxicity
Not toxic to humans; the berries are not edible but without proven danger
🌱 Known cultivars
'Profusion'
The cultivar 'Profusion' produces clusters of violet berries that are much denser and more abundant than the species, making it the form almost always sold in nurseries for its decorative effect in autumn.
🌿 Other Lamiaceae to discover
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
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