Callicarpa japonica var. japonica(Japanese beautyberry, "Murasakishikibu")
Japanese name: ムラサキシキブ（紫式部） Scientific name:Callicarpa japonica var. japonica
[Overview]
A deciduous shrub 2–5 m tall.
It is commonly seen in deciduous woodland in mountains and lowlands.
The trunk is slender and grows somewhat obliquely upward, and the young branches and inflorescences have stellate hairs.
The leaves are opposite, oblong, 6–13 cm long and 2.5–6 cm wide, with fine serrations.
The petiole is 0.2–0.7 cm long.
The leaves turn yellow in autumn.
Cymes are borne in the leaf axils, and the inflorescence has a stalk 0.6–1.5 cm long.
The flowers are pale reddish purple and about 3–5 mm long; the corolla is 4-lobed, and the 4 stamens protrude slightly.
The fruit is spherical, 3 mm across, and ripens purple.
[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed or by cuttings.
It prefers a sunny site with moisture-rich soil.
It tolerates partial shade, but flowering and fruiting become poorer if sunlight is insufficient.
It is very tolerant of cold and heat.
Scale insects may attach to it.
