Vitex
Vitex melicopea
Family: Lamiaceae
What it is like
A tree. It grows 30 m high. It can have buttresses. The leaves are compound and opposite. There are 3-5 leaflets and these are 3-15 cm long. The fruit is 4-16 mm across. They occur singly or in bunches on the ends of branches. The ripe fruit can be pink, red, black or brown. The fruit squashed between the fingers leave a yellow stain. There are several seeds within a stony layer. The seeds are 2.5 mm long by 1.5 mm wide. The flesh is edible.
Also put in the family Verbenaceae.
Where it is found
A tropical plant. The plants grow naturally in rainforest in Queensland in Australia. In tropical Queensland it grows from sea level to 340 m altitude.
Countries/locations it is found in
Australia (country/location of origin)
How it is used for food
Edible parts
Fruit
How it is grown
Plants are grown from seed. They are slow to germinate. This can take 1-2 years. Plants can be grown from cuttings.