Vitex negundo, Noronha, 1791

Sengun, S., Ingrouille, M., Paton, A. & de Kok, R. P. J., 2024, Taxonomic revision of the Vitex trifolia complex (Lamiaceae), Blumea 69 (2), pp. 93-121 : 109-111

6. Vitex negundo L. — Fig. 11 , 12 ; Map 6

Vitex negundo L. (1753) 638 (page number printed erroneously as 938); H.J. Lam (1919) 189; De Kok & Sengun (2019) 407. — Agnus -castus negundo (L.) Carrière (1870 –1871) 416. — Vitex agnus -castus L. var. negundo (L.) Kuntze (1891) 511. — Lectotype (designated by Moldenke 1955b: 490): Herb. Linnaeus LINN 811/8 (lecto LINN), India.

[ Vitex incisa Wall. (1829) no. 1746, nom. nud. — Based on: Wallich no. 1746 (K-W).]

Vitex latifolia Mill.(1768) . — Vitex agnus-castus L. var. latifolia (Mill.) Loudon (1830) 246. — Lectotype (designated here): De l’Obel, Pl. Icon 139, tome 2 (1591) t. 161.

Vitex chinensis Mill. (1768) . — Lectotype (designated here): Miller s.n. (BM [ BM000757489 ];isolecto BM [ BM000757490 ]),ex Hort. (unknown which).

Vitex incisa Lam.(1786) 612. — Agnus-castus incisa (Lam.) Carrière (1870 – 1871) 416. — Vitex negundo L. var. incisa (Lam.) C.B. Clarke (1885) 584. — Type: Jardin du Roi, ‘originaire de la Chine’ (holo P–Lam.; Micofiche LM-509/2, Picture at K), originally from China.

Vitex spicata Lour. (1790) 475. — Type: de Loureiro s.n. (n.v.), Cultaque in Cochinchina et China.

Vitex gracilis Salisb. (1796) 107, nom. illeg., in synonymy.

Vitex cannabifolia Siebold & Zucc. (1846) 152. — Vitex negundo L. var. cannabifolia (Siebold & Zucc.) Hand.-Mazz. (1934) 67. — Lectotype (designated here): Siebold s.n. (W [W0022974]; isolecto: M [M0111716, M0111717]*, W [W0022975, W0285058]), Japan. Syn. nov.

Agnus -castus incisa (Lam.) Carrière var. alba Carrière (1870 –1871) 416. — Type: not indicated. Syn. nov.

Vitex negundo L. f. alba C.Pei (1932) 104. — Lectotype (designated here): Forrest 10123 ( PE [ PE0095990 ]; isolecto K), ( China,) Yungpeh. Syn. nov.

Vitex negundo L. f. laxipaniculata C.Pei (1932) 104. — Lectotype (designated here): Henry 13210 ( NY [ NY00138480 ]; isolecto K), ( China,) Yunnan. Syn. nov.

Vitex negundo L. f. intermedia C.Pei (1932) 105; De Kok (2008) 25. — Vitex negundo L. var. intermedia (C.Pei) Moldenke (1937) 2. — Lectotype (designated here): Wright s.n. (NY [NY00076777]; isolecto L), ( China,) Hong Kong. Syn. nov.

Vitex negundo L. var. microphylla Hand.-Mazz. (1936) 906. — Vitex microphylla (Hand.-Mazz.) C.Pei ex C.Y.Wu (1977) 452, nom. superfl., non Moldenke. — Type: von Handel-Mazzetti 8781 (holo W;iso A [A00143801]*, E [E00284233],WU [WU0060375]*), ( China,) in regionis subtropicae vallis fluvii Dijnscha-dijang (“Yangtse”) ad occid urbis Lidjiang (‘Likiang’) dumetis supra vicum Ahsi. Syn. nov.

Vitex negundo L. var. macrophylla Moldenke [(1939) 40, nom. nud.;] (1940) 753. — Walther 174 (holo BH [BH000 046 022, BH000 046 023]), USA, California, Los Angeles, Huntington Botanic Garden.

Vitex negundo L. var. sessilis Moldenke [(1939) 40,nom.nud.;] (1940) 754. — Heuer [F.P.I. 63649] (holo BH [BH000 046 021]), USA, Florida,Dade County.

Vitex elmeri Moldenke (1978) 307; De Kok (2008) 25. — Type: Elmer 5611 (holo NY (NY00138505)), Philippines, Luzon, Union Province, Bauang.

Vitex negundo L. var. thyrsoides C.Pei & S.L. Liou (1982) 212. — Type: Dai Tianlun 104763 (holo NAS [ NAS 00218250 ]*), China, Sichuan province, Chengkou County. Syn. nov .

Vitex simplicifolia B.N.Lin & S.W.Wang (1994) 209, nom. superfl., non Oliv. — Vitex negundo L. var. simplicifolia (B.N.Lin & S.W.Wang) D.K.Zang & J.W.Sun (2009) 22. — Type: Bingham 9007 (holo JSBI n.v.), China, Shan- dong, Jinan, Shi, Changqing Xian, Suzhuang. Syn. nov.

Shrub or small tree, up to 4 m high. Leaves 3–5(–7)-foliolate; petioles 1.8–5.5 cm long. Leaflets: blades oblong-elliptic to narrowly elliptic to lanceolate, apex acuminate, base cuneate, margin entire to dentate (always some leaflets dentate), dentations with the tertiary venation arching back before reaching the apex of the tooth, upper surface dark green, lower surface light green, aromatic when crushed; secondary veins 4–7(–9) per side, slightly prominent, visible on both surfaces; terminal leaflets 3.7–11.8 by 0.7–3.3 cm; terminal petiolules (0.2–)0.8–1.4(–2.4) cm long; lateral leaflets 2.9–9 by 0.3– 3.1 cm; lateral petiolules (0–)0.2–1(–1.8) cm long; basal leaflets absent (trifoliolate) or 1.3–5 by 0.3–1.4 cm; basal petiolules 0–0.5 cm long. Inflorescences terminal, consisting of lateral cymes in dense clusters with persistent flowers; axis 6–20 cm long, smooth; bracteoles linear, up to (0.6–) 2.5–5 mm long, patent, persistent, drying black. Calyx glands absent to few; tube 0.9–2.1 mm long; lobes 5–10 by 4–10 mm, lobe apex sometimes acuminate but often aristate; flowering calyx 1–1.5 mm diam; fruiting calyx 2–2.5 mm diam, erect, covering most of the mature fruit. Corolla white or light purple to blue-violet; glands few or absent; tube 2.6–3.6 mm long; anterior lip orbicular, 1.5–3 by 1.3–2.7 mm, apex rounded, anterior corolla lip with semi-circular area of hairs at the corolla mouth; lateral lobes 1.2–1.5 by 1–2 mm, apex rounded, patent; posterior lip: lobes 1.2–1.5 by 1–1.2 mm, apex rounded, reflected to erect. Stamens: filaments 2–3.8 mm long, slightly to strongly didynamous, inserted halfway to lower 1/3 of the corolla tube; anther c. 0.8 mm long. Ovary 0.6–0.8 by 0.5–0.7 mm, glabrous; style 1.9–5.6 mm long; stigma lobes 0.4–0.7 mm long. Fruit ellipsoid, when dried 1.5–2.7 by 1.1–2.2 mm, apex truncate, glabrous, black when mature.

Distribution — Nepal, Bhutan, China and Vietnam. Reported to be introduced and cultivated in at least Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, Borneo, Sumatra, Java, the Philippines and possibly in the whole of the Flora Malesiana area.

Habitat & Ecology — Growing in secondary forest (rarely in primary), mixed thickets and along roads and in wastelands, from sea-level up to 3200 m altitude. Flowering: June to April; fruiting: July to November in more temperate regions; reported to be flowering and fruiting throughout the year in the tropics.

Uses — The species is grown for ornamental purposes and in China as a source of fibre. It is used medicinally throughout the region.

3 mm

mm

3

mm

3

Vernacular names — Five-leaved chaste tree (English); Huang jing, Mu jing, Ni huang jing, Xiao ye jing ( China); Lagundi ( Philippines); Merbok ( Malaysia); Talaun mohou ( Malaysia, Sabah).

Conservation status — Least concern (LC) as it is common throughout its range and there are no known threats ( Sengun 2017).

Notes — 1. Although some specimens on herbarium sheets have entire leaflets, in situ, all plants have some dentate leaflets.

2. The name V. latifolia Mill. with as the type the illustration De l’Obel (1591: t. 161) (rather than t. 139 as was mentioned in Miller 1768), is clearly V. negundo . The information given in Miller agrees with the De l’Obel t. 161 plate including the text: ‘ Vitex folio latiore ferrato ’. Plate 139 clearly shows a monocoty- ledonous herb.

3. The type of V. spicata Lour. may not even be extant as many of De Loureiro’s specimens did not survive. However, Merrill (1918) states that the ‘excellent description applies unmistakably to V. negundo ’.

Figures

Map 6 Natural distribution of Vitex negundo L.

Fig. 11 Vitex negundo L. a. Habit; b. part of inflorescence; c. flower, side view; d. calyx open, adaxial; e. corolla open; f. style; g. fruit in calyx; h. fruit in crosssection; i. calyx; j. inflorescence axis in cross-section (a, c, e–f, j: Sengun 31; b, d, g–i: Xiao Bai-Zhong 3849; all K). — Drawing by Juliet Beentje.

Fig. 12 Vitex negundo L. a. Habit; b. inflorescence; c. flower (♀ phase); d. infructescence; e. thyrsoid inflorescence; f. serrated leaves; g. serrated leaves; h. entire leaves. — Photos by R. de Kok.