''Callicarpa'' (beautyberry) is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

shrub A shrub or bush is a small to medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees by their multiple ...

s and small

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, e.g., including only woody plants with secondary growth, only ...

s in the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Lamiaceae The Lamiaceae ( ) or Labiatae are a family (biology), family of flowering plants commonly known as the mint, deadnettle, or sage family. Many of the plants are aromatic in all parts and include widely used culinary herbs like basil (herb), ba ...

.Heywood, V.H., Brummitt, R.K., Culham, A. & Seberg, O. 2007: Flowering Plant Families of the World. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. They are native to east and southeast

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

(where the majority of the species occur), Australia, Madagascar, south-eastern North America and South America.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref>

Growth

The temperate species are

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and botany, the term deciduous () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed Leaf, leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...

, the tropical species

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has Leaf, foliage that remains green and functional throughout the year. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which lose their foliage completely during the winter or dry season. Consisting of many diffe ...

. The

leaves A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...

are simple, opposite, and 5–25 cm long. The

flower Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...

s are in clusters, white to pinkish. The

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants (angiosperms) that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which angiosperms disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particular have long propaga ...

is a

berry A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples of berries in the cul ...

, 2–5 mm diameter and pink to red-purple with a highly distinctive metallic lustre, are very conspicuous in clusters on the bare branches after the leaves fall. The berries last well into the winter or dry season and are an important survival food for

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...

s and other animals, though they will not eat them until other sources are depleted. The berries are highly

astringent An astringent (sometimes called adstringent) is a chemical that shrinks or constricts body tissues. The word derives from the Latin '' adstringere'', which means "to bind fast". Astringency, the dry, puckering or numbing mouthfeel caused by t ...

but are made into wine and jelly. ''Callicarpa'' species are used as food plants by the

larva A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase ...

e of some

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) or lepidopterans is an order (biology), order of winged insects which includes butterflies and moths. About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera have been described, representing 10% of the total described species of living organ ...

species in Asia including '' Endoclita malabaricus'' and '' Endoclita undulifer''.

Familiar species

American beautyberry (''Callicarpa americana'') is native to the southeastern

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. It can typically reach 1 to 2 meters in height. A jelly can be made from its ripe berries. Ornamental varieties of ''Callicarpa americana'' have been bred to have pink or white berries. * Bodinier's beautyberry (''Callicarpa bodinieri''), native to west-central

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

(

Sichuan Sichuan is a province in Southwestern China, occupying the Sichuan Basin and Tibetan Plateau—between the Jinsha River to the west, the Daba Mountains to the north, and the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau to the south. Its capital city is Cheng ...

Hubei Hubei is a province of China, province in Central China. It has the List of Chinese provincial-level divisions by GDP, seventh-largest economy among Chinese provinces, the second-largest within Central China, and the third-largest among inland ...

Shaanxi Shaanxi is a Provinces of China, province in north Northwestern China. It borders the province-level divisions of Inner Mongolia to the north; Shanxi and Henan to the east; Hubei, Chongqing, and Sichuan to the south; and Gansu and Ningxia to t ...

), is more cold-tolerant than ''C. americana'', and is the species most widely cultivated in northwestern

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

. It can reach 3 meters tall. * Japanese beautyberry (''Callicarpa japonica''), native to

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, is also cultivated in gardens. It is called ''Murasakishikibu'' in Japanese, in honor of

Murasaki Shikibu was a Japanese novelist, Japanese poetry#Age of Nyobo or court ladies, poet and lady-in-waiting at the Imperial Court in Kyoto, Imperial court in the Heian period. She was best known as the author of ''The Tale of Genji'', widely considered t ...

. * Purple beautyberry (''Callicarpa dichotoma''), native to

, and

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

Uses

Insect repellent

American beautyberry has been used as a folk remedy to prevent mosquito bites. Four chemicals isolated from ''Callicarpa'' have been shown to act as insect repellents: borneol, callicarpenal, intermedeol, and spathulenol. The use of callicarpenal has been patented by the

United States Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an executive department of the United States federal government that aims to meet the needs of commercial farming and livestock food production, promotes agricultural trade and producti ...

Agricultural Research Service The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is the principal in-house research agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). ARS is one of four agencies in USDA's Research, Education and Economics mission area. ARS is charged with ext ...

as a mosquito repellent.

Species

Accepted species #'' Callicarpa aculeolata'' Schauer - Dominican Republic #'' Callicarpa acuminata'' Kunth - Latin America from Mexico to Bolivia #'' Callicarpa acutidens'' Schauer - Vietnam #'' Callicarpa acutifolia'' C.H.Chang - Guangxi, Guangdong #'' Callicarpa albidotomentella'' Merr. - Luzon #'' Callicarpa alongensis'' Dop - Vietnam #'' Callicarpa americana'' L. - southeastern United States from Texas to Maryland; Cuba, Bermuda, Bahamas #'' Callicarpa ampla'' Schauer - Puerto Rico #'' Callicarpa angusta'' Schauer - Philippines #'' Callicarpa angustifolia'' King & Gamble - Indochina, southern China #'' Callicarpa anisodonta'' Bramley - Sulawesi #'' Callicarpa anisophylla'' C.Y.Wu ex W.Z.Fang - Guangxi, Guangdong #'' Callicarpa anomala'' (Ridl.) B.L.Burtt - Sarawak #'' Callicarpa apoensis'' Elmer - Mindanao #'' Callicarpa arborea'' Roxb. - southern China, Tibet, Indian Subcontinent, Southeast Asia, Andaman Islands, New Guinea #'' Callicarpa areolata'' Urb. - Cuba #'' Callicarpa argentii'' Bramley - Kalimantan #'' Callicarpa badipilosa'' S.Atkins - Brunei #'' Callicarpa barbata'' Ridl. - Borneo #'' Callicarpa basilanensis'' Merr. - Basilan, Mindanao #'' Callicarpa basitruncata'' Merr. ex Moldenke - Hainan #'' Callicarpa baviensis'' Moldenke - Vietnam #'' Callicarpa bicolor'' Juss - Philippines, Sulawesi, Bismarck Archipelago, Palau #'' Callicarpa bodinieri'' H.Lév - Indochina, southern China #'' Callicarpa bodinieroides'' R.H.Miao - Guizhou #'' Callicarpa borneensis'' Moldenke - Borneo #'' Callicarpa bracteata'' Dop - Vietnam #'' Callicarpa brevipes'' (Benth.) Hance - Vietnam, Cambodia, southern China #'' Callicarpa brevipetiolata'' Merr. - Sumatra #'' Callicarpa brevistyla'' Munir - Northern Territory of Australia #'' Callicarpa bucheri'' Moldenke - Cuba #'' Callicarpa candicans'' (Burm.f.) Hochr. - China, Bangladesh, Southeast Asia, New Guinea, northern Australia, Micronesia #'' Callicarpa cathayana'' C.H.Chang - southern China #'' Callicarpa caudata'' Maxim. - Maluku, Philippines, Sulawesi, New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Queensland #'' Callicarpa cinnamomea'' (Hallier f.) Govaerts - Sulawesi #'' Callicarpa collina'' Diels - Guangdong, Jiangxi #'' Callicarpa coriacea'' Bramley - Sabah #'' Callicarpa crassinervis'' Urb. - Cuba #'' Callicarpa cubensis'' Urb. - Cuba #'' Callicarpa cuneifolia'' Britton & P.Wilson - Cuba #'' Callicarpa denticulata'' Merr. - Batan in Phlippines #'' Callicarpa dentosa'' (H.T.Chang) W.Z.Fang - Guangdong #'' Callicarpa dichotoma'' (Lour.) K.Koch - China, Japan, Korea, Ryukyu Islands, Vietnam #'' Callicarpa dolichophylla'' Merr. - southern China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Luzon #'' Callicarpa endertii'' (Moldenke) Bramley - Kalimantan #'' Callicarpa erioclona'' Schauer - Vietnam, Borneo, Sulawesi, Java, Philippines, New Guinea, Bismarck Archipelago #'' Callicarpa erythrosticta'' Merr. & Chun - Hainan #'' Callicarpa fasciculiflora'' Merr. - Bucas Grande in Philippines #'' Callicarpa ferruginea'' Sw. - Cuba, Jamaica #'' Callicarpa flavida'' Elmer - Mindanao, Dinagat #'' Callicarpa floccosa'' Urb. - Cuba #'' Callicarpa fulva'' A.Rich. - Cuba #'' Callicarpa fulvohirsuta'' Merr. - Sabah #'' Callicarpa furfuracea'' Ridl. - Thailand, Malaysia #'' Callicarpa gibaroana'' Baro & P.Herrera - Cuba #'' Callicarpa giraldii'' Hesse ex Rehder - China #'' Callicarpa glabra'' Koidz. - Ogasawara-shoto (Bonin Islands) #'' Callicarpa glabrifolia'' S.Atkins - Borneo #'' Callicarpa gracilipes'' Rehder - Sichuan, Hubei #'' Callicarpa grandiflora'' (Hallier f.) Govaerts - Sumatra, Sulawesi #'' Callicarpa grisebachii'' Urb. - Cuba #'' Callicarpa havilandii'' (King & Gamble) H.J.Lam - Borneo #'' Callicarpa heterotricha'' Merr. - Vietnam #'' Callicarpa hispida'' (Moldenke) Bramley - Sabah #'' Callicarpa hitchcockii'' Millsp. - Bahamas, Cuba #'' Callicarpa homoeophylla'' (Hallier f.) Govaerts - Borneo, Sulawesi #'' Callicarpa hungtaii'' C.Pei & S.L.Chen - Guangdong #'' Callicarpa hypoleucophylla'' T.P.Lin & J.L.Wang - Taiwan #'' Callicarpa inaequalis'' Teijsm. & Binn. ex Bakh. - Java #'' Callicarpa integerrima'' Champ. ex Benth. - southern China #'' Callicarpa involucrata'' Merr. - Borneo #'' Callicarpa japonica'' Thunb. - China, Japan, Korea, Ryukyu Islands, Taiwan #'' Callicarpa kerrii'' Leerat. & A.J.Paton - Thailand #'' Callicarpa kinabaluensis'' Bakh. & Heine - Sabah #'' Callicarpa kochiana'' Makino - China, Japan, Vietnam, Taiwan #'' Callicarpa kwangtungensis'' Chun - southern China #'' Callicarpa laciniata'' H.J.Lam - Timor #'' Callicarpa lamii'' Hosok - Mariana Islands #'' Callicarpa lancifolia'' Millsp. - Cuba #'' Callicarpa leonis'' Moldenke - Cuba #'' Callicarpa lingii'' Merr. - Anhui, Jiangxi, Zhejiang #'' Callicarpa loboapiculata'' Metcalf - Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan, Hunan. #'' Callicarpa longibracteata'' C.H.Chang - Hong Kong #'' Callicarpa longifolia'' Lam. - China, Southeast Asia, New Guinea, Bismarck Archipelago, Christmas Island, Queensland #'' Callicarpa longipes'' Dunn - Anhui, Fujian, Guangdong, Jiangxi #'' Callicarpa longipetiolata'' Merr. - Luzon #'' Callicarpa luteopunctata'' C.H.Chang - Sichuan, Yunnan #'' Callicarpa macrophylla'' Vahl. - China, Himalayas, Indian Subcontinent, Southeast Asia, New Guinea, Queensland #'' Callicarpa madagascariensis'' Moldenke - Madagascar #'' Callicarpa magnifolia'' Merr. - Luzon #'' Callicarpa maingayi'' King & Gamble - Thailand to Malaya #'' Callicarpa membranacea'' C.H.Chang - China #'' Callicarpa mendumiae'' Bramley - Sulawesi #'' Callicarpa micrantha'' S.Vidal - Philippines, Micronesia #'' Callicarpa moana'' Borhidi & O.Muñiz - Cuba #'' Callicarpa moldenkeana'' A.Rajendran & P.Daniel - Meghalaya #'' Callicarpa mollis'' Siebold & Zucc. - Japan, Korea #'' Callicarpa nipensis'' Britton & P.Wilson - Cuba #'' Callicarpa nishimurae'' Koidz. - Ogasawara-shoto (Bonin Islands) #'' Callicarpa nudiflora'' Hook. & Arn. - China, Himalayas, Indian Subcontinent, Indochina #'' Callicarpa oblanceolata'' Urb. - Cuba #'' Callicarpa oligantha'' Merr. - Guangdong #'' Callicarpa oshimensis'' Hayata - Ryukyu Islands #'' Callicarpa pachyclada'' Quisumb. & Merr. - Luzon, Samar #'' Callicarpa paloensis'' Elmer - Luzon, Leyte #'' Callicarpa parvifolia'' Hook. & Arn. - Nayarit #'' Callicarpa pauciflora'' Chun ex H.T.Chang - Guangdong, Jiangxi #'' Callicarpa pedunculata'' R.Br. - China, Himalayas, Southeast Asia, New Guinea, Melanesia, Australia #'' Callicarpa peichieniana'' H.Ma & W.B.Yu - Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan #'' Callicarpa pentandra'' Roxb. - Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, New Guinea, Solomon Islands #'' Callicarpa petelotii'' Dop - Vietnam #'' Callicarpa phuluangensis'' Leerat. & A.J.Paton - Thailand #'' Callicarpa pilosissima'' Maxim. - Taiwan #'' Callicarpa pingshanensis'' C.Y.Wu ex W.Z.Fang - Sichuan #'' Callicarpa platyphylla'' Merr. - Luzon, Polillo #'' Callicarpa plumosa'' Quisumb. & Merr. - Luzon #'' Callicarpa prolifera'' C.Y.Wu - Yunnan, Guangxi #'' Callicarpa pseudorubella'' C.H.Chang - Guangdong #'' Callicarpa pseudoverticillata'' Bramley - Sulawesi #'' Callicarpa psilocalyx'' C.B.Clarke - Meghalaya, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia #'' Callicarpa pullei'' (H.J.Lam) Govaerts - New Guinea #'' Callicarpa quaternifolia'' (Hallier f.) Govaerts - Borneo, Sulawesi #'' Callicarpa ramiflora'' Merr. - Philippines #'' Callicarpa randaiensis'' Hayata - Taiwan #'' Callicarpa remotiflora'' T.P.Lin & J.L.Wang - Hengchun Peninsula in Taiwan #'' Callicarpa remotiserrulata'' Hayata - Hengchun Peninsula in Taiwan #'' Callicarpa resinosa'' C.Wright & Moldenke - Cuba #'' Callicarpa reticulata'' Sw. - Jamaica #'' Callicarpa revoluta'' Moldenke - Cuba #'' Callicarpa ridleyi'' S.Moore - Java #'' Callicarpa roigii'' Britton - Cuba #'' Callicarpa rubella'' Lindl. - China, Himalayas, Southeast Asia #'' Callicarpa rudis'' S.Moore - Sumatra #'' Callicarpa ruptofoliata'' R.H.Miao - Guangdong #'' Callicarpa saccata'' Steenis - Borneo #'' Callicarpa salicifolia'' C.Pei & W.Z.Fang - southern China #'' Callicarpa scandens'' (Moldenke) Govaerts - Sabah #'' Callicarpa selleana'' Urb. & Ekman - Massif de la Selle in Haiti #'' Callicarpa shaferi'' Britton & P.Wilson - Cuba #'' Callicarpa shikokiana'' Makino - Japan #'' Callicarpa × shirasawana'' Makino - Japan ''(C. japonica × C. mollis)'' #'' Callicarpa simondii'' Dop - Vietnam #'' Callicarpa siongsaiensis'' Metcalf - Fujian #'' Callicarpa sordida'' Urb. - Dominican Republic #'' Callicarpa stapfii'' Moldenke - Sabah #'' Callicarpa subaequalis'' Bramley - Kalimantan #'' Callicarpa subalbida'' Elmer - Luzon, Mindoro #'' Callicarpa subglandulosa'' Elmer - Luzon, Negros #'' Callicarpa subintegra'' Merr. - Luzon #'' Callicarpa subpubescens'' Hook. & Arn. - Bonin Islands, Volcano Islands #'' Callicarpa superposita'' Merr. - Borneo #'' Callicarpa surigaensis'' Merr. - Samar, Mindanao #'' Callicarpa takakumensis'' Hatus - Mt. Takakuma in Japan #'' Callicarpa teneriflora'' Bramley - Kalimantan #'' Callicarpa thozetii'' Munir - Queensland #'' Callicarpa tikusikensis'' Masam. - Taiwan #'' Callicarpa tingwuensis'' C.H.Chang - Guangdong #'' Callicarpa toaensis'' Borhidi & O.Muñiz - Cuba #'' Callicarpa tomentosa'' (L.) L. - Indian Subcontinent, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaya #'' Callicarpa × tosaensis'' Makino - Japan ''(C. japonica × C. kochiana)'' #'' Callicarpa vansteenisii'' Moldenke - Sumatra #'' Callicarpa vestita'' Wall. ex C.B.Clarke - eastern Himalayas, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Assam #'' Callicarpa woodii'' Merr. - Borneo #'' Callicarpa wrightii'' Britton & P.Wilson - Cuba #'' Callicarpa yunnanensis'' W.Z.Fang - Yunnan, Vietnam

References

External links

Dr. Duke's Databases: ''Callicarpa americana'' - List of Chemicals

''Callicarpa'' info

Eat The Weeds - Beautyberry
{{Taxonbar, from=Q133831 Lamiaceae genera Medicinal plants Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus