Guiana chaste tree
Vitex divaricata

Family: Lamiaceae

What it is like

A shrub or tree. It can grow 20 m tall. The bark peels in long strips. It loses its leaves during the year. The leaves usually have 3 leaflets. They are oblong and 14 cm long. There can be a few hairs on the midrib. The flowers in long stalked groups in the axils of the leaves. These can be 15 cm long. The flowers have a scent. The fruit are black and oval and 1 cm long.

Also put in the family Verbenaceae.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It grows from sea level to medium altitudes above sea level.

Countries/locations it is found in

Antilles, Carribean, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Guianas, Guyana, Haiti, Hispaniola, Leeward Is., Lesser Antilles, Martinique, Montserrat, Puerto Rico, South America, St Vincent, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela, West Indies, Windward Is.

How it is used for food

Edible parts

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Bois a agouti, Fiddlewood, Gattilier bois-lezard, Higuerillo, Ofon criollo

Synonyms

Vitex divaricata var. cubensis Urb.; Vitex divaricata Sw. var. divaricata; Vitex divaricata var. haitensis Urb.; Vitex multiflora Sw.;