Plantae > Tracheophyta > Magnoliopsida > Lamiales > Lamiaceae > Vitex > Vitex agnus-castusVitex agnus-castus (lilac chastetree; chaste tree)Synonyms: Agnus-castus alba; Agnus-castus marostachya; Agnus-castus robusta; Agnus-castus vulgaris; Agnus-castus vulgaris var. alba; Vitex agnus; Vitex agnus var. integerrima; Vitex agnus-castus f. alba; Vitex agnus-castus f. albiflora; Vitex agnus-castus f. caerulea; Vitex agnus-castus f. laciniosa; Vitex agnus-castus f. latifolia; Vitex agnus-castus f. rosea; Vitex agnus-castus fma; Vitex agnus-castus haussknechtii; Vitex agnus-castus var. alba; Vitex agnus-castus var. caerulea; Vitex agnus-castus var. laciniosa; Vitex agnus-castus var. latifolia; Vitex agnus-castus var. macrophylla; Vitex agnus-castus var. pseudonegundo; Vitex agnus-castus var. serrata; Vitex haussknechtii; Vitex hybrida; Vitex integra; Vitex latifolia (heterotypic); Vitex lupinifolia; Vitex negundo var. macrophylla; Vitex pseudonegundo; Vitex robusta; Vitex verticillata; Vitex xhybrida Vitex agnus-castus, also called vitex, chaste tree, chasteberry, Abraham's balm, lilac chastetree, or monk's pepper, is a native of the Mediterranean region. It is one of the few temperate-zone species of Vitex, which is on the whole a genus of tropical and sub-tropical flowering plants. Theophrastus mentioned the shrub several times, as agnos (άγνος) in Enquiry into Plants. It has been long believed to be an anaphrodisiac but its effectiveness remains controversial. |
| Allergen Potential [1] | Medium-Low |  | | Edible [2] | May be edible. See the Plants For A Future link below for details. | | Flower Type [2] | Hermaphrodite | | Leaf Type [2] | Deciduous | | Lifespan [3] | Perennial | | Pollinators [2] | Insects, Lepidoptera | | Scent [2] | The dried seeds have a pungent lemony perfume; | | Structure [2] | Shrub | | Usage [2] | A perfume is made from the flowers;
Young stems are used in basket making;
A yellow dye is obtained from the leaves, the seed and the roots;
Wood - hard, close grained; | | | Height [2] | 9.84 feet (3 m) | | Width [2] | 9.84 feet (3 m) |
View Plants For A Future Record : Vitex agnus-castus |
Species taxanomy provided by GBIF Secretariat (2022). GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei accessed via GBIF.org on 2023-06-13; License: CC BY 4.0
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