Vitex negundo L.

 

Family: Verbenaceae

Synonym: Agnus-castus negundo (L.) Carrière, Vitex agnus-castus var. negundo (L.) Kuntze

Vernacular name: Vellanochi, Indrani, Karinochi, Nochi, Vellanocchi, Karunochi

Habit: shrub or tree

Habitat: Deciduous forests, river banks, villages and cultivated as hedge plant.

Distribution:  Indo-Malesia and China, cultivated throughout the tropics

Flowering and Fruiting: April-August

Key identification features: It is a shrub/tree with their stems and branches have an obtusely quadrangular shape. These leaves are often aromatic or foetid. The inflorescence occurs in axillary or terminal dichasial cymes. The flowers are bisexual and corolla can be white, blue, or purple. The fruit is drupaceous, with a hard endocarp, containing 4.

Uses: Flowers attract butterflies and moths. Leaves repel pests in stored grain.