Botanical name: Leycesteria formosa    Family: Caprifoliaceae (Honeysuckle family)

Pheasant Berry is a deciduous shrub native to the Himalayas and SW China. It has soft, hollow, upright green stems 1-2 m tall, which only last for 2-5 years before collapsing and being replaced by new stems from the roots. Oppositely arranged dark green leaves, 6-18 cm long and 4-9 cm broad, have an entire or wavy margin. The flowers are produced on 5-10 cm long pendulous racemes. Each flower is small, white, subtended by a purple bract. The fruit is a soft purple-black, toffee tasting berry 1 cm across, eaten by birds. Pheasant Berry was popularly used in Victorian shrubberies. Pheasant Berry is found in forests and shrubberies in the Himalayas, from Pakistan to Burma, at altitudes of 2100-3000 m. Flowering: May-July.

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The flower labeled Pheasant Berry is ...