Velvet Beauty Berry
Callicarpa tomentosa
Also known as Great woolly malayan lilac
About Velvet Beauty Berry
Callicarpa tomentosa is a species of beautyberry plant in the family Lamiaceae. It is found in Western Ghats of India and Sri Lanka. It is a small tree with about 5m tall. Leaves simple, opposite; elliptic to broadly elliptic; apex acute or acuminate. Purplish flowers show branched axillary cymes. Fruit is 3-4 seeded globose drupe. Fruits provide food for wildlife. They are sometimes used to make herbal medicine. The leaves are also food for wildlife. The leaf is known being used as a wick to light an oil lamp. In Hinduism, it is said in the legends that when the pandavas went to exile, they lit the tree by applying oil to the leaves and burning them.
Description adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Callicarpa tomentosa
- Genus
- Callicarpa
- Family
- VERBENACEAE
- Habit
- Shrub
- Habitat
- Semi-evergreen and moist deciduous forests, also in the plains
- Native to
- India to Southeast Asia
- Distribution
- India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Malesia, North Hong kong
- Flowering & fruiting
- Throughout the year
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Local Names
- Tamil
- காட்டுக்குமிழ் kattu-k-kumil
- Telugu
- బోడిగచెట్టు bodiga chettu
- Kannada
- ಆರತಿ ಗಿಡ aarati gida, ದೊಡ್ಡ ನಾತದ ಗಿಡ dodda nathada gida, ಇಬನ್ನೆ ಗಿಡ ibanne gida
- Malayalam
- നായ്ക്കുമ്പിൾ nay-kkumpi, നായ് ക്കുമ്പിൾ, Callicarpa tomentosa
- Marathi
- ऐसर aisar, हेसूर hesur
Verbenaceae
Verbena/Teak family
Velvet Beauty Berry belongs to the Verbenaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
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