Common Name:

General Information

Vitex grandifolia is an evergreen shrub or tree with a spreading crown; it can grow up to 20 metres tall. The bole is often sinuous and slightly fluted at the base, it is usually up to 60cm in diameter, with some specimens to 120cm, and can be branchless for up to 15 metres though usually much less[].
The tree is harvested from the wild for its edible fruit, medicinal purposes and useful timber.
Vitex grandifolia 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(2018)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

West tropical Africa - Sierra Leone to Gabon.

Habitat

Often an understorey tree of lowland evergreen forest, it can become locally common, especially when growing in secondary forests[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Least Concern
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	15.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

The tree often flowers all year round, though the fruit ripens in two distinct periods through the year[].

Edible Uses

The fruits are edible and are used to make an alcoholic drink[].

Medicinal

In traditional medicine the bark is used as a stomachic and to treat diarrhoea, bronchial complaints, rickets, sores and fever[].

The leaves are used in medications against colic, infections of the umbilical cord, toothache, rheumatism and orchitis[].

A tea made from the fruits is drunk as a tonic[].

Other Uses

The black juice exuding from leaves heated over a fire has been used as ink[].

The heartwood is whitish to pale brown, darkening on exposure to brown, and indistinctly demarcated from the sapwood. The grain is usually straight; texture medium. The wood is moderately durable and reportedly resistant to termite attack, though the sapwood is susceptible to Lyctus beetle attack[]. It is easy to saw and work with hand and machine tools; it generally planes to a smooth surface and finishes well, it nails well without splitting[]. Veneer of good quality can be produced[]. The wood is used on a local scale for light construction, drums and canoe seats. It is suitable for light flooring, joinery, interior trim, furniture, cabinet work, toys, novelties, shipbuilding, vehicle bodies, agricultural implements, boxes, crates, veneer, plywood and pulpwood[].

Propagation

Seed - germination rates are usually good, with up to 90% of the seeds sprouting within 2 - 3 months of being sown[].

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