beauty bush, (Kolkwitzia amabilis), ornamental flowering shrub of the Linnaea clade in the family Caprifoliaceae, native to central China. It is the only member of its genus. The beauty bush has deciduous oval leaves and can reach a maximum height of about 3 m (10 feet). Its paired bell-like flowers, one above the other, range in colour from white to pink and are massed at the branch tips. These early summer flowers are followed by brown bristly fruits that persist on the bush into winter.