Genus of flowering plants in the sage family Lamiaceae
Vitex
Vitex altissima
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Plantae
Clade:
Tracheophytes
Clade:
Angiosperms
Clade:
Eudicots
Clade:
Asterids
Order:
Lamiales
Family:
Lamiaceae
Subfamily:
Viticoideae
Genus:
Vitex L.[1]
Type species
Vitex agnus-castus
L.
Diversity
About 250 species
Synonyms[2]
Macrostegia Nees
Neorapinia Moldenke
Mailelou Adans.
Limia Vand.
Allasia Lour.
Nephrandra Willd.
Tripinna Lour.
Chrysomallum Thouars
Tripinnaria Pers.
Pyrostoma G.Mey.
Wallrothia Roth 1821 not Spreng. 1815
Psilogyne DC
Casarettoa Walp.
Rapinia Montrouz.
Agnus-castus Tourn. ex Carrière
Varengevillea Baill
Pistaciovitex Kuntze
Viticipremna H.J.Lam
Tsoongia Merr.
Paravitex H.R.Fletcher
Vitex quinata
Vitex/ˈvaɪtɛks/[3] is a genus of flowering plants in the sage family Lamiaceae. It has about 250 species.[4][5] Common names include chaste tree or chastetree, traditionally referring to V. agnus-castus, but often applied to other species, as well.
Species of Vitex are native throughout the tropics and subtropics, with a few species in temperate Eurasia and one in New Zealand.[2][6]
About 18 species are known in cultivation. V. agnus-castus and Vitex negundo are often grown in temperate climates.[7] About six others are frequently grown in the tropics.[8] Most of the cultivated species serve as ornamentals. Some provide valuable lumber. The flexible limbs of some species are used in basket weaving.[6] Some of the aromatic species are used medicinally[8][9] or to repel mosquitos.[8]
The genus Vitex was named by Linnaeus in Species Plantarum in 1753.[10]Vitex was the name used by Pliny the Elder for V. agnus-castus. It is derived from the Latin vieo, meaning to weave or to tie up, a reference to the use of V. agnus-castus in basketry.[11]
As a result of phylogenetic studies of DNA sequences, Vitex is one of several genera that were transferred from the Verbenaceae to the Lamiaceae in the 1990s. It is the largest genus in the subfamily Viticoideae of Lamiaceae.[4] Taxon sampling in molecular phylogenetic studies has never been sufficient to test the monophyly of the Viticoideae, but it is generally thought to be an unnatural group.[12] The subfamily is probably diphyletic, with Premna, Gmelina, and Cornutia constituting one clade, and with Vitex, Petitia, Pseudocarpidium, and Teijsmanniodendron constituting the other.[13]
^"Genus: Vitex L." Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. 2004-09-10. Retrieved 2010-12-12.
^ abKew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
^"Vitex". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
^ abRaymond M. Harley, Sandy Atkins, Andrey L. Budantsev, Philip D. Cantino, Barry J. Conn, Renée J. Grayer, Madeline M. Harley, Rogier P.J. de Kok, Tatyana V. Krestovskaja, Ramón Morales, Alan J. Paton, and P. Olof Ryding. 2004. "Labiatae" pages 167-275. In: Klaus Kubitzki (editor) and Joachim W. Kadereit (volume editor). The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants volume VII. Springer-Verlag: Berlin; Heidelberg, Germany. ISBN 978-3-540-40593-1
^Vitex In: Index Nominum Genericorum. In: Regnum Vegetabile (see External links below).
^ abDavid J. Mabberley. 2008. Mabberley's Plant-Book third edition (2008). Cambridge University Press: UK.
^Anthony J. Huxley, Mark Griffiths, and Margot Levy (editors). 1992. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. The Macmillan Press Limited, London; The Stockton Press, New York.
^ abcGeorge W. Staples and Derral R. Herbst "A Tropical Garden Flora" Bishop Museum Press: Honolulu (2005)
^Tadzabia K, Maina HM, Maitera ON, Osunlaja AA (2013). "Elemental and Phytochemical Screening of Vitex Doniana Leaves and Stem Bark in Hong Local Government Area of Adamawa State, Nigeria" (PDF). International Journal of Chemical Studies. 1 (3): 165–172.
^Carolus Linnaeus. 1753. Species Plantarum 2:706. Laurentii Salvii. (see External Links below).
^Umberto Quattrocchi. 2000. CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names volume I, page 91. CRC Press: Boca Raton; New York; Washington, DC;, US. London, UK. ISBN 978-0-8493-2673-8 (set). (see External links below).
^Systematics of Lamiaceae Subfamily Viticoideae. At: Website of Kew Gardens. (see External links below).
^Gemma L.C. Bramley, Félix Forest, and Rogier P.J. de Kok. 2009. "Troublesome tropical mints: re-examining generic limits of Vitex and relations (Lamiaceae) in South East Asia". Taxon58(2):500-510.
Vitex negundo, commonly known as the Chinese chaste tree, five-leaved chaste tree, or horseshoe vitex, or nisinda is a large aromatic shrub with quadrangular...
Vitex parviflora is a species of plant in the family Verbenaceae, also known as smallflower chastetree or the molave tree. The name "molave" is from Spanish...
Vitex rotundifolia, the roundleaf chastetree or beach vitex, is a species of flowering plant in the sage family Lamiaceae. It is native to seashores throughout...
Vitex trifolia, the simpleleaf chastetree, is a large coastal shrub or small tree. Vitex trifolia is a large coastal shrub or small tree, less than 5 m...
*Tripora P.D.Cantino *Tsoongia Merr., synonym of Vitex *Vitex L. *Viticipremna H.J.Lam, synonym of Vitex +Volkameria L. *Warnockia M.W.Turner *Wenchengia...
Vitex lucens, or pūriri, is an evergreen tree endemic to New Zealand. Pūriri was first collected (by Europeans) at Tolaga Bay by Banks and Solander during...
Vitex glabrata, commonly known as smooth chastetree, bush currant, black plum, black fruit, and black grape, is a species medium-sized deciduous tree...
Vitex altissima, the peacock chaste tree, is a species of woody plant reaching some 20 m in height, in the family of Lamiaceae. It is native to the Indomalayan...
Vitex quinata, also known as joho lawe tree, is a flowering plant in the Lamiaceae family. It is native to the Andaman Islands, Assam (India), Bangladesh...
found in numerous plant species, including Ajuga turkestanica, various Vitex species, Triticum aestivum, and Rhaponticum acaule. Ecdysterone Guibout...
Vitex keniensis (also called Meru oak) is a species of plant in the family Lamiaceae. It is endemic to Kenya. It is threatened by habitat loss. It is...
Vitex cofassus is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae. It is a tree native to Sulawesi, the Maluku Islands, New Guinea, Bismarck Archipelago...
Vitex lehmbachii is a species of plant in the family Lamiaceae. It is endemic to Cameroon. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland...
Vitex leucoxylon, the white wood chaste tree, is a species of deciduous woody plant with 15m height, in the family Lamiaceae. Native to Western Ghats...
Vitex pinnata is a tree of the family Lamiaceae. It is native to south and south east Asia. It grows slowly, ultimately reaching 20 metres in height with...
Vitex cooperi is a species of plant in the family Lamiaceae. It is found in Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama. Wikispecies has information...
Vitex amaniensis is a species of plant in the family Lamiaceae. It is endemic to Tanzania. Wikispecies has information related to Vitex amaniensis. Lovett...
Vitex peduncularis is a species of plant in the family Lamiaceae. It is found in Southeast and South Asia, including in China (southern Yunnan), Cambodia...
Vitex doniana is a tree native to the Afrotropics. Its fruits are one of several fruits called black plums. This tree is often grown for its fruits. It...
Vitex divaricata is a tree shrub of the Caribbean native to Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. Its Spanish vernacular names include higüerillo and...
northern region of Peninsular Malaysia. The dish is prepared with a herb, Vitex trifolia, locally known as lemuni. Nasi lemuni is consumed in the same manner...
Vitex longisepala is a species of plant in the family Lamiaceae. It is a tree endemic to Peninsular Malaysia. Wikispecies has information related to Vitex...
Vitex acunae is a species of plant in the family Lamiaceae. It is endemic to Cuba. It is threatened by habitat loss. Wikispecies has information related...
Vitex tripinnata is a species of tropical forest tree in the family Lamiaceae. Its recorded distribution is: Cambodia, Hainan island, Laos, Thailand and...
Vitex megapotamica is a hardwood fruit tree found in Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, and southern Brazil. In Brazil it is commonly called tarumã. The tarumã...
Vitex kuylenii is a species of plant in the family Lamiaceae. It is found in Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua. Wikispecies has information...
centuries. This species was first described by Ferdinand von Mueller as Vitex leichhardtii in 1862, based on material collected near Myall Creek by Ludwig...
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