Habitat

• native to Japan
• hardy to zone 5

Habit and Form

• a multistemmed deciduous shrub
• 4' to 6' tall with an equal width
• shape is generally rounded
• branching is upright and arching over

Summer Foliage

• opposite, simple leaves
• leaves are elliptic with acuminate tips
• leaf margins are finely serrated
• leaves are 2" to 5" long
• leaves are 1.5" to 2" wide
• leaf color is medium green

Autumn Foliage

• yellow or greenish yellow with a purplish cast
• under the right sun exposure, plants can develop nearly pink or lavender fall color

Flowers

• small pale pink flowers in 1" to 1.5" clusters
• bloom time is July
• not showy and often largely obscured by the foliage

Fruit

• small metallic purple berries in rounded axillary clusters
• color develops in October
• fruit display is at its best after the leaves have dropped
• very showy in full fruit
• the quality of the fruit color is unrivaled

Bark

• stems are slender and bark development is not ornamentally important

Culture

• full sun to light shade
• easily transplanted
• grows rapidly
• prefers a well-drained soil, although relatively adaptable
• do not overfertilize as this will stimulate unwanted vegetative growth
• rejuvenate occasionally, especially following difficult winters
• fruit is produced on new growth
• regular pruning is a fact of life with this plant in order to keep the plant tidy

Landscape Use

• shrub borders
• in groupings and mass plantings
• useful for very showy fruit display
• can be treated as a semihardy shrub or herbaceous perennial

Liabilities

• when not in fruit it is an ordinary shrub without multiseason appeal
• lack of cold hardiness in zone 5
• needs regular pruning to remove winter injury and control rank growth

ID Features

• deciduous shrub with vigorous slender shoots
• metallic purple fruits in axillary clusters
• opposite leaves with serrate margins and acuminate tips

Propagation

• by cuttings

Cultivars/Varieties

'Leucocarpa' - Fruits are white instead of purple and the leaves are a lighter green than the species. Otherwise it is similar to the species. Fruit may turn brown earlier than purple-fruited forms.