This species is very closely related to Vitex cymosa and Vitex flavescens[].

Common Name:

General Information

Vitex gigantea is a tree growing up to 10 metres tall[].
The tree is harvested from the wild for mainly local used as a food and source of a good quality wood. It is cultivated for its fruit in Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador[]. The fruit is sold in local markets[].
Vitex gigantea has a very wide distribution, large population, is not currently experiencing any major threats and no significant future threats have been identified. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2019)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

S. America - Peru, Ecuador.

Habitat

Coastal lowlands[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Least Concern
Edibility Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Tree
Height	8.00 m
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

Not known

Edible Uses

Fruit[]. The fruit has the size and appearance of ripe olives. It has a thin, almost black skin and a juicy brown flesh surrounding a single, rather large seed[]. A rather bitter flavour, it is not apt to be appreciated by those unaccustomed to it[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

The wood is valuable[].
We have no more information on the wood for this species. However, we have a general description for the wood of S. American species of this genus, which is as follows:-
The heartwood is variable according to the species, ranging from yellowish-brown through deep brown, olive-green or olive-brown; it is usually not sharply demarcated from the whitish, yellow, or pale brown sapwood. The texture is rather fine to moderately coarse; the grain straight, sometimes irregular; lustre ranges from low to high; there is no distinctive odour or taste. A silica content of 0.76% is reported. Depending on the species, durability varies from moderately durable to very durable when exposed to a white-rot and brown-rot fungus. Actual field exposures show some species as durable and others as susceptible to attack by decay fungi and insects. Reports are also variable on seasoning, material from Panama had a moderate drying rate and no appreciable defects. The wood is easy to work with both hand and machine tools, though there is some tearing if grain is irregular; it takes a high polish. It is used for purposes such as furniture, millwork, veneer and plywood, general carpentry, mallet heads, chisel handles and flooring[].

Propagation

Seed -

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