Small green fruit turns purple on komurasaki planted before the Imperial Household Archives entrance in the East Gardens south of Palaceside Building. Clustered drooping racemes look like tiny grapes — birds love them.
Komurasaki shares its name with a purple-winged butterfly but the plant and butterfly are unrelated. Often confused with murasaki-shikibu — larger, scattered fruit; komurasaki is preferred for display. Tell them apart: komurasaki has offset fruit and leaf stems; murasaki-shikibi aligns them. Komurasaki leaves are serrated only partway; murasaki-shikibu serrated throughout.
Nearby grows shiro-mino-komurasaki — fruit turning from green to white, also called shiro-shikibu. Same as komurasaki except color; as an Imperial garden plant, "shiro-shikibu" (white court lady) suits better than the botanical name.