Common Name: Beautyberry
Latin Name: Callicarpa dichotoma 'Issai'
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Brand: None
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Mature Height: 3–4 ft
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Mature Width: 4–5 ft
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Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
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Cold Hardiness Zone: USDA Zones 5–8
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Habit: Rounded, arching
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Foliage: Green leaves that turn yellow in fall
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Flower: Small, bluish-pink to lavender flowers in summer
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Fruit: Showy lilac-violet berries in clusters along stems, ripen in September and persist into early winter
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Soil pH: Prefers slightly acidic to neutral soils (pH 6.0–7.0)
Description:
Issai Beautyberry is a compact, deciduous shrub celebrated for its spectacular fall show of lilac-violet berries that cluster along gracefully arching stems. While small pink to lavender flowers appear in midsummer, it's the heavy fruit set—ripening in early fall and persisting after leaf drop—that makes this plant a standout. The cultivar 'Issai' is known for fruiting at an earlier age, producing berries more abundantly and on a shorter, more manageable plant than the species. The berries attract birds and create dramatic seasonal contrast, especially when paired with red or orange-fruiting shrubs in the fall garden.
Care Tips:
Plant in full sun to part shade, with well-drained, average moisture soil. Best flowering and fruiting occur in full sun. Prune hard in late winter or early spring (down to about 6") to encourage compact growth and maximize bloom and fruit on new wood. Tolerates brief drought but prefers consistent moisture.
Landscape Uses:
Borders, bird gardens, woodland edges, mass plantings, fall interest displays, underplantings with hollies or evergreens
