Meru oak
Vitex keniensis
Family: Lamiaceae
What it is like
A tree which loses its leaves. It grows 20 m high. It can be 30 m high along river banks. The trunk is clear and straight. The bark is pale brown. It has narrow grooves along it. The leaves are compound. They have 5 leaflets which are light green. The leaf stalk is long and hairy. The leaves droop when young. They have a pointed tip. The leaflets are pale underneath with velvety hairs. The flowers are small and cream with one mauve petal lobe. The flowers are 1 cm long and occur in large heads. The fruit are rounded and 1.5 cm across. They are green but become black when ripe. The fruit are edible.
Also put in the family Verbenaceae.
Where it is found
A tropical plant. It grows in the lowlands and the highlands. In East Africa it grows between 1,300-2,100 m above sea level.
Countries/locations it is found in
Africa, East Africa, Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania, Uganda
How it is used for food
Edible parts
Fruit
How it is grown
Its other names
Local names
Mfulu, Mfuru, Mfuu, Mhuru, Mkombachiko, Mufuu, Muuru