Callicarpa kochiana

callicarpa kochiana

Flower name
Callicarpa kochiana
Scientific name
callicarpa kochiana
Aliasオニヤブムラサキ, コウチムラサキ, カリカルパ・コキアナ
Place of originJapan and China
Place of floweringLow mountains
Flowering seasonJune, July, August

What is Callicarpa kochiana

Callicarpa kochiana or velvet purple (scientific name: Callicarpa kochiana) is an evergreen/deciduous shrub of the genus Callicarpa of the family Lamiaceae, native to Japan and China. It grows wild in the mountains of Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu south of the Kii Peninsula. The tree is 3 to 5 meters tall. The leaves are 15 to 20 cm long and 5 to 7 cm wide, oblong-ovate to inverted-lanceolate, with narrow serrations on the leaf margins and dense white hairs on the leaf underside, and grow in pairs on the branches. From July to August, it produces many small white to light purple flowers in concentrated inflorescences from the leaf axils. Four long stamens and one pistil protrude from each petal. Fruiting season is winter and it produces white spherical fruits. Dr. Tomitaro Makino collected it at Mount Godaisan in Kochi Prefecture and announced it as a new species in 1914. The leaves and young branches are densely covered with feathery hairs and velvety to the touch, hence the name of the flower. The genus name "Callicarpa" is a compound of the Latin words "Callos" (beautiful) and "carpos" (fruit), and the species name "kochiana" means "Kochi.

Common name: VCallicarpa kochiana, scientific name: Callicarpa kochiana, also known as velvet purple, Original place: Japan, China, Habitat: Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu, south of Kii Peninsula, Height: 3-5 m, Form: Evergreen shrub, Young branches: densely covered with light brown hairs, Leaf shape: oblong to oblique, Leaf blade: 15-20 cm, Leaf width: 5-7 cm, Leaf margin: fine serrate, Leaf underside: white Leaf margin: finely serrate; leaf underside: densely hairy; inflorescence: opposite; flowering season: July-August; flower color: white to light purple; inflorescence shape: paniculate; flowering site: leaf axils; number of stamens: 4; number of pistils: 1; fruiting season: winter; fruit shape: globose; fruit color: white; uses: garden tree, bird feeder, insect repellant.