A. Plant.jpg

Vitex negundo

Vitex negundo L., Sp. Pl. 2: 638. 1753; Boiss., Fl. Or. 535. 1879; Clarke in Hook. f., Fl. Brit. Ind. 4: 583. 1885; Collett, Fl. Siml. ed. 2: 380. 1921 (Reprint 1980); Parker, For. Fl. Punj. ed.1: 394. 1918 (Reprint 1973); Sharma & Kachroo, Fl. Jammu (Illustr.) 2: t. 221. 1983; Dhaliwal & Sharma, Fl. Kullu Dist. 508. 1999; Kaur & Sharma, Fl. Sirmaur 503. 2004; Singh & Sharma, Fl. Chamba Dist. 545. 2006; Fl. China @ eFloras.org 17: 30; Fl. Pak. @ eFloras.org p. 27.

A large shrub or small tree, up to 4 m high; branchlets grey-tomentose, bark thin, grey. Leaves opposite decussate; petiole 2.5-6 cm long, grey-tomentose; leaf blade digitately compound, 3 (-5)-foliate; leaflets 5-15 cm x 1-4 cm, lanceolate, unequal, middle one largest, apex acuminate, margin entire to irregularly denticulate, subsessile to petiolulate, upper surface more or less glabrous, lower surface covered with white tomentum. Inflorescences opposite or verticellate cymes arranged in an elongated, 10-20 cm long, tapering terminal panicle, often branched at base. Flowers bisexual, zygomorphic, hypogynous, ca. 8 mm long and 3-5 mm across, blue-purple or lavender, subsessile to shortly pedicellate, pedicels up to 1 mm long; bracts 1.8-2.5 mm long, lanceolate, caducous. Calyx 2.5-4 mm long, tubular-campanulate, white tomentose, apex 5-toothed, teeth minute, triangular, persistent. Corolla ca. 7.5 mm long, tomentose; tube nearly 2 times longer than calyx; limb 5-lobed, lobes unequal, up to 2 mm long, 2-lipped; upper lip erect, deeply 2-lobed; lower lip 3-lobed, the lowest largest, obovate-orbicular and the lateral lobes oblong, obtuse. Stamens 4, didynamous, exserted; anther bithecous, thecae at first parallel and pendulous, afterwards divaricate, corolla tube hairy near the insertion of filaments. Carpels 2, syncarpous; ovary 4-locular, 1 ovule per loculus attached near the top of loculus; style long and filiform; stigma shortly bifid. Fruit a drupe, ca. 6 mm x 5 mm, ovoid, succulent, endocarp bony, containing 4 one-seeded nutlets.

Flowering and Fruiting: March to June
Common Names: Chaste Tree, Five-leaf Chaste Tree; Nirgundi, Sindvar (Hindi)

 Plant  Stem Leaves (Adaxaial view)  Leaf (Abaxial view)  Leaflet (Abaxial View)   Petiole  Flowering shoots bearing inflorescences  Flowering Shoot with inflorescence  Cymose inflorescence with one young flower  Flowers and Calyx  Flower  Flower  Calyx and Pistil  Pistil  Ovary V.S.  Branch bearing fruits