Vitex trifolia
| Vitex trifolia | |
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| Flowers | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Embryophytes |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Lamiaceae |
| Genus: | Vitex |
| Species: | V. trifolia |
| Binomial name | |
| Vitex trifolia | |
| Varieties[2] | |
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| Synonyms | |
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24 synonyms
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Vitex trifolia, commonly known as the simpleleaf chastetree or blue Vitex, is a species of plant in the mint family Lamiaceae. It is a shrub or small tree native to coastal areas of the Indo-Pacific region.
Description
Vitex trifolia is a large coastal shrub or small tree, up to 8 m (26 ft) in height and a trunk up to 20 cm (7.9 in) diameter. The leaves are oppositely arranged along the stems and are usually compound, composed of three or five leaflets. The central leaflets may grow up to 12 cm (4.7 in) long and 4 cm (1.6 in) wide, and the lateral leaflets may be 5 cm (2.0 in) long and 2 cm (0.79 in) wide. The upper surfaces of the leaves are green and the lower surfaces are grayish green.[5][6]
The flowers are born in panicles or clusters up to 25 cm (10 in) in length. Individual flowers have mauve or purple, five-lobed corolla tubes that are about 5 mm (0.20 in) long and 3 mm (0.12 in) wide; they are finely hairy outside and have a dense patch of longer hairs in the mouth of the tube. The stamens are 3–6 mm (0.12–0.24 in) long, and the ovary is globular and about 1.5 mm (0.06 in) diameter. The fleshy fruits are up to 6 mm (0.24 in) in diameter and contain four small seeds.[5][6]
Taxonomy
Two varieties are recognised as of April 2026, Vitex trifolia var. taihangensis and the autonym Vitex trifolia var. trifolia.[2]
Distribution and habitat
Vitex trifolia naturally occurs close to coasts in beach forest and the landward side of mangrove swamps, usually below 150 m (490 ft) altitude.[5][6]
It is native to the following regions as defined in the World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions:[7]
- Africa: Kenya, Tanzania, Somalia, Mozambique, KwaZulu-Natal, Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius.
- Asia-Temperate: Afghanistan, Iran, China North-Central, China South-Central, China Southeast, Hainan, Nansei-shoto, Taiwan.
- Asia-Tropical: Assam, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Andaman Islands, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Borneo, Jawa, Lesser Sunda Islands, Malaya, Maluku, Philippines, Sulawesi, Sumatera, Bismarck Archipelago, New Guinea, Solomon Islands.
- Australia: New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, Western Australia.
- Pacific: Caroline Islands, Marianas, Marshall Islands, Wake Island, Cook Islands, Line Islands, Marquesas, Society Islands, Tuamotu, Tubuai Islands.
Conservation status
The species is classed as least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The reason for this assessment is that the plant is widely distributed and also widely cultivated, and despite some loss of habitat it is thought to be not under any threat.[1]
Traditional medicine
In Samoa it is used to relieve fever, exhaustion, asthma, headache and rashes.[8] In Fiji a poultice of the leaves is used to treat broken bones and abrasions; in the Solomon Islands the leaves are used as a treatment for headache; on Bougainville it is used as a laxative; in Truk the leaves are made into a tea to treat itching skin.[6]
Gallery
Illustration from c. 1880.jpg)
Habit.jpg)
Flowers
Leaf with five leaflets
Fruit
Common names
- English: common blue vitex, hand of Mary, Indian privet, simpleleaf chastetree, three-leaved chaste tree.
- Spanish: abrecaminos, vencedor, vencedora.
- Chinese: man jing
- Portuguese (Brasil): tarumâ
- Seychelles - bois noux noux
- Cook Islands - rara
- Tonga - lalatahi
- Samoa - namulega
- India:[9]
- Sanskrit - jalanirgundi; sindhuka; surasa; vrikshaha
- Hindi - nichinda; panikisanbhalu; sufed-sanbhalu
- Manipuri - urikshibi
- Bengali - paniki-shumbala; pani-samalu
- Kannada - nira-lakki-gida
- Malayalam - lagondi; nirnoschi
- Tamil - nirnochi; sirunochi (நொச்சி)
- Telugu - niruvavili; shiruvavili (నీరువావిలి)
- Indonesia
- Indonesian - legundi -> Dutch: legoendi
- Aceh - grupheueng
- Bali - liligundi
- Bugi - lawaranill (ᨒᨓᨑᨊᨗ)
- Philippines - lagundi, halamang gamot
- Malaysia - lemuni (especially in northern region)
References
- 1 2 de Kok, R. (2024). "Vitex trifolia". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2024 e.T152177383A250199094. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2024-2.RLTS.T152177383A250199094.en.
- 1 2 3 4 "Vitex trifolia L." Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2026. Retrieved 13 April 2026.
- ↑ "Vitex trifolia var. taihangensis (L.B.Guo & S.Q.Zhou) S.L.Chen". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2026. Retrieved 13 April 2026.
- ↑ "Vitex trifolia var. trifolia". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2026. Retrieved 13 April 2026.
- 1 2 3 F.A.Zich; B.P.M.Hyland; T.Whiffen; R.A.Kerrigan (2020). "Vitex trifolia". Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants Edition 8 (RFK8). Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research (CANBR), Australian Government. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 de Kok, Rogier P. J. (2007). "The Genus Vitex L. (Lamiaceae) in New Guinea and the South Pacific Islands". Kew Bulletin. 62 (4): 596600. JSTOR 20443390.
- ↑ "Vitex trifolia L." World Flora Online. World Flora Online Consortium. 2026. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
- ↑ Harrington, Michael T. (ed.). Samoan Medicinal Plants and Their Usage (PDF) (2 ed.). American Samoa Community College. ISBN 1-931435-27-8.
- ↑ Vitex trifolia, Dr. K.M. Nadkarni's Indian Materia Medica, by A.K. Nadkarni, Popular Prakashan, Bombay, 1976, pp: 1281-2.