Vitex lucens T.Kirk

Puriri

Broad tree to about 15 m tall, with 4-angled branchlets. Leaves with thick stalks, mostly 5-10 cm long. Leaflets (3-)5, the upper 3 largest, leathery, glossy dark green above, to 12 cm long, 5 cm wide, wavy-edged, tip pointed, hairless and with domatia below. Flower clusters of 5-15 flowers; over most of the year. Flowers deep pink, about 3 cm wide. Fruit a bright red drupe.

New Zealand

Occasionally cultivated, especially in older public gardens.

Used in New Zealand as a valuable hardwood timber.

VIC: Melbourne (Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria (Melbourne Gardens), C Gate).

 

V. agnus-castus L., Chaste Tree (Lilac Chaste Tree), from southern Europe is a shrub or small tree to 3 m or more tall. Leaves stalked. Leaflets 5-9, each to about 10 cm or so long and 2 cm wide, narrowly elliptic, long-pointed, whitish below and with short stalks. Flower cluster branched, to about 30 cm long, conical, erect or pendent. Flowers densely white-hairy, with tube to 2 mm or so long, lilac with darker lower lip, fragrant; late summer. Fruit roundish, to about 3 mm wide. The twigs were once used in basketry and the fruit is used as a pepper substitute. Grown for the aromatic fragrance of the whole plant. Differs from V. trifolia in having 3-5 narrower leaflets tapering at each end.

V. negundo L. from SE and E Asia and the Pacific, S Africa and Madagascar is a shrub or small tree to 8 m or so tall. Leaves with stalk about 4 cm long. Leaflets 3-5, lanceolate, long-pointed, white-hairy below. Flower cluster branched, to about 25 cm long. Flowers white-hairy, lilac, to about 4 mm long. Fruit round, to about 5 mm long.

V. trifolia L. from E and N Australia and Asia is a shrub or small tree to 5 m or so tall. Leaves with mostly 3 leaflets, the terminal one largest, mostly 3-8 cm long, 2-4 cm wide, tips mostly short-pointed, the upper surface pale green, drying to black, lower surface with a grey felt. Flower clusters conical; spring. Flowers blue to purple, tube 4-6 mm long. Fruit a round drupe 4-6 mm wide, yellowish red at first, becoming blue to black. V 'Purpurea' Leaves soft, smooth, purple below. V 'Variegata' Leaves with a broad creamy margin.The true identity of this taxon is uncertain.

Source: Spencer, R. (2002). Verbenaceae. In: Spencer, R.. Horticultural Flora of South-eastern Australia. Volume 4. Flowering plants. Dicotyledons. Part 3. The identification of garden and cultivated plants. University of New South Wales Press.

Hero image
kingdom Plantae
phylum   Tracheophyta
class    Magnoliopsida
superorder     Asteranae
order      Lamiales
family       Lamiaceae
genus        Vitex L.