Callicarpa giraldii Seeds | Giraldi’s Beautyberry
LATIN NAME: Callicarpa giraldii
COMMON NAME: Giraldi’s Beautyberry
Plant Profile
Giraldi’s Beautyberry is a deciduous shrub of the mint family, two to three metres tall, with arching branches and larger, broader leaves than its better-known cousin, softly hairy on both surfaces. Its summer flowers are small and pink, and its autumn berries are carried in dense, tight clusters that colour later than those of Bodinier’s beautyberry and hold longer.
It comes from the thickets and forest edges of central and western China, where it was collected by the Italian missionary Giuseppe Giraldi, whose name it carries. It is the species most often seen in North American gardens, where it is valued for its late and reliable fruit. The berries ripen in October and hold into January, later than those of most beautyberries.
Science & Biotechnology
The two beautyberries grown in gardens are close enough that they are sometimes treated as varieties of one species, and the boundary between them rests on the size and hairiness of the leaves and on the density of the fruit clusters. Molecular work on the genus has confirmed that they are distinct, but hybrid plants occur where the ranges meet.
Its leaves contain the same callicarpenal as Bodinier’s beautyberry, and the species has been included in the work on natural mosquito repellents that followed the isolation of that compound. The berries are eaten by birds in late winter, when few other fruits remain. The genus is named for the beauty of its fruit, from the Greek kallos and karpos.
Uses & Benefits
The shrub is grown for its autumn fruit, which is denser and slightly later than that of Bodinier’s beautyberry, and for its tolerance of a wider range of soils. It is a good choice for a wildlife garden, since the berries persist into the months when birds most need them.
The cut stems are used in flower arranging, and the branches can be dried for winter decoration. The berries are not for eating, and the leaf extract, while insect-repellent, is not a household preparation to make at home. In the border it combines well with late grasses, whose bleached stems set off the violet fruit.
Growing from Seed
Sow in autumn and leave the pots outside for the winter, since cold, moist conditions are needed to break dormancy. Sow thinly in a loam-based compost, cover lightly, and keep the pots moist; germination follows in spring and may continue into the second year.
Plant out in sun or part shade in fertile, well-drained soil, and water through the first summer. Prune in late winter, cutting a third of the oldest stems to the base each year, which keeps the shrub compact and the berry clusters dense. It is hardier than Bodinier’s beautyberry and succeeds in colder gardens.
Our Take
The later, hardier beautyberry, with denser clusters and a longer season of colour. It wants the same treatment as its cousin and gives a little more in return.
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