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The "Oo-murasaki-shikibu" (Callicarpa japonica var. luxurians) belongs to Verbenaceae (the Verbena family). It is a small deciduous tree that is distributed westward from Tokai district of Honshu to Shikoku, Kyushu, the Ryukyu Islands, also the Korean Peninsula, Taiwan and China. This tree grows in coastwise scrubs and can reach 2-3 m in height. This species is a variety of Japanese beautyberry. The leaves are large, thick and ovate to elliptic with cuneatic tips. They are 10-20 cm in length. The large cymes are borne at the axils, and bloom pale magenta flowers from June to August. The fruits are globose and ripen purple.
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