species 23,733 observations
Lilac Chaste Tree
Vitex agnus-castus
Field notes
Vitex agnus-castus (also called vitex, chaste tree / chastetree, chasteberry, Abraham's balm, lilac chastetree, or monk's pepper) is a plant 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 subtropical flowering plants. Vitex is a cross-pollinating plant, but its self-pollination has been recorded.
Theophrastus mentioned the shrub several times, as ágnos (ἄγνος) in Enquiry into Plants. It has been long believed to be an anaphrodisiac – leading to its name as "chaste tree" – but its effectiveness for such action remains unproven. The shrub was utilized for religious rituals in ancient Greece and among the Philistines in modern Palestine as well as other countries in the Levant region.
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Range
Greener is more native, amber more introduced; paler is less certain. How this was decided
Key traits
- Layer
- Trees
- Light
- Full sun
- Moisture
- Dry Well drained Moist
- Drought tolerant
- Yes
- Deer resistant
- Yes
- Resists
- Dry soil Heat Insect pests Salt
From NC State Extension and USDA PLANTS.