About Vitex lignum-vitae A.Cunn. ex S.Schauer
Vitex lignum-vitae is a small to medium tree that can reach 30 metres (98.4 ft) in height, with a trunk diameter of up to 90 cm (2.95 ft). Its trunk is creamy or brown, marked with horizontal lines and fissures, and its bark sheds in small flakes. Larger trees develop flanges or buttresses at the base, and their main bole has an irregular shape. Juvenile leaves and leaves from coppice growth are lobed or angled. Mature leaves are opposite, simple, shiny, and untoothed, measuring 5 to 13 cm long, and are often broader toward the tip. Leaf stalks are 15 to 25 mm long, hairy, and channeled on the upper surface. Net-like veins are visible on the underside of the leaf, and small foveolae (raised hairy bumps) form where the midrib meets the larger lateral veins. Branchlets are grey, hairy, and somewhat four-sided in cross-section. Pale purple flowers grow in cymes and can appear at any time of year, most commonly in April. The fruit is a red drupe 8 to 12 mm in diameter, holding a round hard capsule inside. The capsule is divided into four cells, each containing either a fertile or infertile seed. Fruit ripens between November and April, and is eaten by birds including the green catbird and rose-crowned fruit dove. Regeneration from seed is unusually slow and difficult. The fleshy aril must be removed from the fruit capsule, and older fruit is preferred for propagation. Roots and shoots can take two or more years to appear after sowing.
