Bodinier's beautyberry

Description:

Callicarpa bodinieri Profusion is a medium size (1.5m x 1.5m), upright deciduous shrub with dark green leaves turning red in autumn (fall). In midsummer, small lilac flowers are produced in the leaf axils. But it is grown in gardens primarily for its small, decorative purple berries in tight clusters in autumn. While the berries are not poisonous, they are very bitter. Wild life will not eat them until there are no other available food sources. This species is more tolerant of cold than C. americana (American beautyberry). It is happy in most fertile soils, and equally happy in full sun or dappled shade. Callicarpa bodinieri is an easily grown shrub invaluable for its autumn - fall - and winter berries.

Notes:

I was so excited to find this shrub today, I've never seen purple berries before. This shrub belongs to the genus Callicarpa of the family Verbenaceae and is native to West and Central China. The Latin specific epithet bodinieri refers to Émile-Marie Bodinier, a French missionary and botanist of the 19th century, who collected plants in China.