Pearl Glam® beautyberry is an advanced hybrid between C. dichotoma and C. kwangtungensis , in the Lamiaceae (mint) family. It was developed at our own NCSU Mountain Crop Improvement Lab in conjunction with Spring Meadow Nursery. Callicarpa comes from the Greek language, meaning “beautiful fruit.” Pearl Glam ™ beautyberry lives up to its trade name, putting on a spectacular show in the fall with glamorous, bright violet pearls adorning dark purple foliage, an upright form, and an early, prolific fruiting display. This compact plant grows to a mature height of 4 feet tall and 3 to 4 feet wide. Grow it in well-drained soil in full sun to partial shade; however, it can become leggy in too much shade. This shrub can be pruned back to 6 inches in early spring to promote compactness and encourage the new wood on which blooming occurs. This plant is seldom damaged by deer and the seeds are not fertile so no new plants will germinate in your yard. A fast-growing perennial, Pearl Glam ™ beautyberry is a lovely ornamental shrub in mass plantings, borders, and even container plantings with its display of summer flowers and fall berries. Its colorful leaves and fruits make an interesting addition to a children's or woodland garden. Plant it along a shrub border or walkway, it makes an excellent hedge. Insects, Diseases, and Other Problems: Relatively insect and disease free. Some of the diseases that affect beautyberry include leaf spot and black mold. VIDEO Created by Elizabeth Meyer for " Trees, Shrubs and Conifers " a plant identification course offered in partnership with Longwood Gardens.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage
Available space
3 feet-6 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 2 ft. 0 in. - 4 ft. 0 in. | Width: 3 ft. 0 in. - 5 ft. 0 in.
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
3 - Shrub (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Erect; Rounded
Texture
Medium
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green; Purple/Lavender
Leaf arrangement
Opposite
Leaf shape
Elliptical; Oblong
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf size
1-3 inches long
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Elliptic to oblong 1-3 inch leaves purple-green with dark purple veins.
Fall color
Gold/Yellow
Flower color
Pink; Purple/Lavender
Flower form
Cyme
Flower detail
Clusers of small pink to lavender cymes form in the leaf axils in the summer.
Bloom time
Summer
Fruit value
Long-lasting; Showy
Fruit size
< 1 inch long
Fruit detail
Very showy lilac-violet fruit 1/8" diameter ripen in September and are showy through fall leaf drop and partially into winter. Seeds are infertile.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Unknown
Wildlife value
Callicarpa as a genus are a wonderful for wildlife. In the spring, the white flowers attract bees and other insects. The purple berries have a high moisture content and are a food source for more than 40 species of birds.