Vitex

Tree Description:

A large shrub or small landscape tree to 15 feet tall, often multi-trunked, twisted, with a spreading crown.

Range/Site Description:

Native to Europe and Asia, it prefers well-drained soils of any texture, but performs poorly on wet sites. Tolerates heat and alkaline soils well.

Leaf:

Blue-green, compound, opposite, with 5 to 7 leaflets arranged palmately, each leaflet 1" to 3" long on a short stalk.

Flower:

Dense, slender, 6" long spikes of white or lavender flowers appear in late spring and summer above the foliage.

Fruit:

Brown to black, fleshy fruits dry into short clusters and persist through winter.

Bark:

Gray, smooth, devloping into irregular blocks.

Wood:

Flowers produce excellent honey; seeds once used as a sedative, the leaves for medicinal use. Sold as a landscape tree in nurseries.

Similar Species:

Japanese maple (Acer palmatum) has simple leaves and serrated leaf edges.