Vitex
Vitex is a genus of flowering plants in the sage family Lamiaceae. It has about 250 species. Common names include chaste tree or chastetree, traditionally referring to "V. agnus-castus" but often applied to other species as well.

Species of "Vitex" are native throughout the tropics and subtropics, with a few species in temperate Eurasia and one in New Zealand.

About 18 species are known in cultivation. "Vitex agnus-castus" and "Vitex negundo" are often grown in temperate climates. About six others are frequently grown in the tropics. Most of the cultivated species serve as ornamentals. Some provide valuable lumber. The flexible limbs of some species are used in basket weaving. Some of the aromatic species are used medicinally or to repel mosquitos.

The genus "Vitex" was named by Linnaeus in Species Plantarum in 1753. "Vitex" was the name used by Pliny the Elder for "Vitex agnus-castus". It is derived from the Latin "vieo", meaning to weave or to tie up, a reference to the use of "Vitex agnus-castus" in basketry.

As a result of phylogenetic studies of DNA sequences, "Vitex" is one of several genera that were transferred from Verbenaceae to Lamiaceae in the 1990s. It is the largest genus in the subfamily Viticoideae of Lamiaceae. Taxon sampling in molecular phylogenetic studies has never been sufficient to test the monophyly of Viticoideae, but it is generally thought to be an unnatural group. The subfamily is probably diphyletic, with "Premna", "Gmelina", and "Cornutia" constituting one clade, and with "Vitex", "Petitia", "Pseudocarpidium", and "Teijsmanniodendron" constituting the other.
Q34740
genus
Concept
Q25314
flowering plant
Concept
Q35409
family
Concept
Q53476
Lamiaceae
Concept
Q7432
species
Concept
Q259318
V. agnus-castus
Concept
Q169480
native
Concept
Q42530
tropics
LOC
Q16305538
subtropics
Concept
Q167466
temperate
Concept
Q5401
Eurasia
LOC
Q756
cultivation
Concept
Q259318
Vitex agnus-castus
Concept
Q14807863
Vitex negundo
Concept
Q199182
ornamentals
Concept
Q1370714
lumber
Concept
Q373017
basket weaving
Concept
Q170885
aromatic
Concept
Q7367
mosquitos
Concept
Q1043
Linnaeus
PER
Q849308
Species Plantarum
Concept
Q82778
Pliny the Elder
PER
Q35245
derived
Concept
Q397
Latin
Concept
Q171184
phylogenetic
Concept
Q380546
DNA sequence
Concept
Q156960
Verbenaceae
Concept
Q164280
subfamily
Concept
Q3823289
Viticoideae
Concept
Q53476
Lamiaceae
Concept
Q16521
Taxon
Concept
Q210958
monophyly
Concept
Q217743
diphyletic
Concept
Q937726
Premna
Concept
Q2697396
Gmelina
Concept
Q8351073
Cornutia
Concept
Q713623
clade
Concept
Q132607
Vitex
Concept
Q132607
Vitex
Concept
Q132607
Vitex
Concept
Q132607
Vitex
Concept
Q132607
Vitex
Concept
Q132607
Vitex
Concept
Q132607
Vitex
Concept
Q132607
Vitex
Concept
1753-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1753
DATE
1990-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1990
DATE
+18^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
18
NUMBER
taxon rank
parent taxon
taxonomic type
taxonomic type
parent taxon
instance of
taxon rank
notable work
author
taxon rank
parent taxon