Vitex petersiana Klotzsch

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Picture: Bart Wursten
By junction of Salt Springs road and the main road from Mandavu to Sinamatella

Picture: Bart Wursten
Road from Main Road to Vundu Camp, Mana Pools National Park

Picture: Bart Wursten
By entrance at Chilo Gorge Safari Lodge

Picture: Bart Wursten
Garura section of Mazowe River Game Reserve, Maramba CL, across Mazowe River from Hippo Pools

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Synonyms:	Vitex kirkii Baker Vitex tettensis Klotzsch
Common names:
Frequency:
Status:	Native
Description:	Multi-stemmed shrub or rarely a small tree. Bark grey fairly smooth; young branchlets velvety. Leaves opposite, 3-foliolate; leaflets broadly elliptic to ovate-lanceolate, up to c. 5 × 3 cm, central leaflet largest, thinly textured, often somewhat greyish-green with a whitish bloom, hairless above,sometimes sparsely hairy on the midrib below; margin often with a few teeth in the upper half; petiolules absent on the lateral leaflets, usually short but distinct on the central leaflet. Flowers in few-flowered, axillary heads, c. 1 cm long, white with a purple-blue lower lip. Fruit ellipsoid, c. 1.2 cm long, fleshy, black when ripe, cupped by the persistent calyx.
Type location:
Notes:
Derivation of specific name:	petersiana: named after Professor Wilhelm Peters (1815-1863) of Berlin who collected in Mozambique in the early 19th century.
Habitat:	In dry deciduous woodland and scrub, often with Colophospermum mopane and also on termite mounds
Altitude range:	200 - 1000 m
Flowering time:	Jan - Apr
Worldwide distribution:	Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe
Zambian distribution (Flora Zambesiaca):
Zambian distribution (Provinces):	N,E,S
Growth form(s):	Tree, shrub over 2 m.
Endemic status:
Red data list status:
Insects associated with this species:
Spot characters:	Display spot characters for this species
Literature:	Burrows, J.E., Burrows, S.M., Lötter, M.C. & Schmidt, E. (2018). Trees and Shrubs Mozambique Publishing Print Matters (Pty), Cape Town. Page 856. (Includes a picture). Coates Palgrave, K. (revised and updated by Meg Coates Palgrave) (2002). Trees of Southern Africa 3rd edition. Struik, South Africa Page 985. Da Silva, M.C., Izidine, S. & Amude, A.B. (2004). A preliminary checklist of the vascular plants of Mozambique. Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 30 Sabonet, Pretoria Page 79. Drummond, R.B. (1975). A list of trees, shrubs and woody climbers indigenous or naturalised in Rhodesia. Kirkia 10(1) Page 272. Fernandes, R. (2005). Lamiaceae (subfamilies: Viticoideae and Ajugoideae) Flora Zambesiaca 8(7) Pages 78 - 79. (Includes a picture). Mapaura, A. & Timberlake, J. (eds) (2004). A checklist of Zimbabwean vascular plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 33 Sabonet, Pretoria and Harare Page 57. Phiri, P.S.M. (2005). A Checklist of Zambian Vascular Plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 32 Page 71. Pickering, H. & Roe, E. (2009). Wild Flowers of the Victoria Falls Area Helen Pickering, London Page 70. (Includes a picture).

Other sources of information about Vitex petersiana:

Our websites:

Flora of Mozambique: Vitex petersiana
Flora of Zimbabwe: Vitex petersiana

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Vitex petersiana
African Plant Database: Vitex petersiana
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Vitex petersiana
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Vitex petersiana
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Vitex petersiana
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Vitex petersiana
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Vitex petersiana
JSTOR Plant Science: Vitex petersiana
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Vitex petersiana
Plants of the World Online: Vitex petersiana
Tropicos: Vitex petersiana
Wikipedia: Vitex petersiana