Vitex agnus-castus 'Shoal Creek'

(Chaste Tree, Lilac Chaste Tree, Monks Pepper, Vitex)

Taxonomy

Domain: Eukaryota Whittaker & Margulis,1978 - eukaryotes
- Kingdom: Plantae Haeckel, 1866
  - Subkingdom: Viridaeplantae Cavalier-Smith, 1981 - Green Plants
    - Phylum: Tracheophyta Sinnott, 1935 ex Cavalier-Smith, 1998 - Vascular Plants
      - Subphylum: euphyllophytina
        Infraphylum: radiatopses kenrick & crane, 1997
        Class: Magnoliopsida Brongniart, 1843 - Dicotyledons
        Subclass: Lamiidae Takhtajan ex Reveal, 1992
        Superorder: Lamianae Takhtajan, 1967
        Order: Lamiales Bromhead, 1838
        Family: Verbenaceae (ver-be-NAY-see-ay) Jaume Saint-Hilaire, 1805, nom. cons. - Verbena Family
        Genus: Vitex (VY-teks) Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 2: 638. 1753. - Chastetree
        Specific epithet: agnus-castus
        Botanical name: Vitex agnus-castus 'Shoal Creek'

Physical Description

Family Verbenaceae:

Shrubs or trees, sometimes climbing shrubs, rarely herbs. Indumentum of simple, stellate, and/or other complex hairs. Leaves opposite or rarely whorled, without stipules, simple or 3-foliolate, less often palmately [or pinnately] compound. Inflorescences terminal or axillary, racemose, cymose, spicate, or thyrses. Flowers bisexual or polygamous by abortion, zygomorphic or rarely actinomorphic. Calyx persistent. Corolla 4- or 5- or more lobed; lobes usually spreading, aestivation overlapping. Fertile stamens inserted on corolla tube, alternate with lobes; filaments free; anthers dorsifixed, 1- or 2-locular, dehiscing by longitudinal slits or sometimes a circular pore. Ovary entire or 4-grooved, 2-8-locular; ovules 1 or 2 per locule, erect or pendulous. Style terminal, simple, entire or 2-cleft. Fruit a drupe or indehiscent capsule, sometimes breaking up into nutlets. Seeds (1 or) 2-4, endosperm usually absent, seed coat thin; embryo straight, as long as seed; radicle short, inferior.

Some 91 genera and ca. 2000 species: primarily tropical and subtropical, 20 genera and 182 species in China.

The classification of Verbenaceae is in a state of flux, especially regarding its relationship to Lamiaceae. There is evidence to suggest a significant division between members of subfamily Verbenoideae, genera 1-5 in this account, and the remaining genera, including genera 6-20, which for convenience are here referred to as subfamily Viticoideae s.l. The latter are more closely allied to each other and to genera traditionally kept within Lamiaceae (including genera 1-8 in this Flora) . Avicennia is often placed in a family of its own, but its affinities are clearly with Viticoideae, especially genera 17-19 in this account which have traditionally been placed in a separate subfamily, Symphorematoideae.^[1]

Genus Vitex:

Trees or shrubs. Branches glabrous or sparsely pubescent. Leaves opposite, palmately (1-) 3-8-foliolate; leaflets petiolulate, margin entire, dentate, serrate, or incised. Inflorescences terminal or axillary cymes, thyrses, or panicles; bracts usually small, often early deciduous. Calyx campanulate, tubular, or funnelform, sometimes 2-lipped, usually truncate or shortly 5-dentate. Corolla blue, white, or yellow, 2-lipped, lower lip 3-lobed with middle lobe greatly elongated, upper lip usually 2-lobed. Stamens 4, didynamous, sometimes exserted; anther locules attached only at tip, becoming divaricate. Ovary 2-4-locular; ovules 1 or 2 per locule. Style filiform; stigma 2-cleft. Drupes subtended by enlarged calyx, globose, ovoid, or obovoid, normally 4-locular and 4-seeded but often some locules suppressed and base of pyrene forming a hollowed cavity, endocarp a bony pyrene, mesocarp generally fleshy. Seeds obovoid or oblong, endosperm absent; cotyledons usually fleshy.

About 250 species: chiefly tropical, few in temperate regions of both hemispheres; 14 species in China.^[2]

Habit: Deciduous.

Flowers: Bloom Period: April, May, June, July, August. • Flower Color: lavender, violet

Distribution

[ Back to top ]

Growth

[ Back to top ]

Culture: Space 24-36" apart.

Soil: Minimum pH: 5.1 • Maximum pH: 7.8

Sunlight: Sun Exposure: Full Sun.

Moisture: Drought Tolerance: High

Temperature: Cold Hardiness: 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b, 11. (map)

Similar Species

[ Back to top ]

Members of the genus Vitex:

Members of the genus Iris:

Bibliography

[ Back to top ]

P'ei Chien & Chen Shou-liang, eds. 1982. Verbenaceae. Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 65(1): 1-229.

More Info

[ Back to top ]

Search for Pictures: images.google.com
Search for Scholarly Articles: Google Scholar
Search using Scientific Name and Vernacular Names: All the Web | AltaVista Canada | AltaVista | Excite | Google | HotBot | Lycos
Search using Specialized Databases: GenBank | Medline | Scirus | CISTI/CA L | Agricola Periodicals | Agricola Books
Translate this page using Google: Arabic | Chinese | Deutsch | Español | Français | Italiano | Japanese | Korean | Português

Notes

[ Back to top ]

Identifiers:

Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 971474

Footnotes:

Shou-liang Chen & Michael G. Gilbert "Verbenaceae". in Flora of China Vol. 17 Page 1. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org.
"Vitex". in Flora of China Vol. 17 Page 28. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org.

Keep Exploring...

[ Back to top ]

What is this? Click to find out...

Last Revised: June 12, 2008