Practical
Plants

Vitex negundo

Huang Ping

a perennial woody deciduous member of the Vitex genus in the family Verbenaceae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Genus
Vitex
Life cycle
perennial
Foliage
deciduous
Woodiness
woody
Growth rate
moderate
Height
3 m
Spread
3 m
Fertility
Insects
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Insects

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - occasionally used as a condiment[8][12], it is a pepper substitute. When washed to remove the bitterness it can be ground into a powder and used as a flour[10], though it is very much a famine food used only when all else fails[8]. A tea is made from the roots and leaves[8][12].

Product or use
Condiment
Product or use
Tea
Plant part
Seed

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

This species is widely used in Chinese herbal medicine, it is the second most important treatment for chronic bronchitis[14]. (The sub-species V. negundo cannabifolia (Sieb.&Zucc.)Hand-Mazz. is used.) The leaves are astringent, febrifuge, sedative, tonic and vermifuge[4][5][9][14][17]. They are useful in dispersing swellings of the joints from acute rheumatism, and of the testes from suppressed gonorrhoea[17]. The juice of the leaves is used for removing foetid discharges and worms from ulcers, whilst an oil prepared with the leaf juice is applied to sinuses and scrofulous sores[17].They are harvested in early summer and used fresh or dried[16]. A decoction of the stems is used in the treatment of burns and scalds[14]. The dried fruit is vermifuge[17]. The fruit is also used in the treatment of angina, colds, coughs, rheumatic difficulties etc[14]. The fresh berries are pounded to a pulp and used in the form of a tincture for the relief of paralysis, pains in the limbs, weakness etc[21]. The root is expectorant, febrifuge and tonic[17]. It is used in the treatment of colds and rheumatic ailments[14]. It is harvested in late summer and autumn, and dried for later use[16]. The plant is said to be a malarial preventative and is also used in the treatment of bacterial dysentery - extracts of the leaves have shown bactericidal and antitumor activity[14].

Product or use
Antibacterial
Product or use
Antitumor
Product or use
Astringent
Product or use
Expectorant
Product or use
Febrifuge
Product or use
Sedative
Product or use
Tonic
Product or use
Vermifuge

Material uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Young stems are used in basket making and for making wattles[22][4][6][20]. The leaves are used to repel insects in grain stores[22][4]. Extracts of the leaves have insecticidal activity[14]. The fresh leaves are burnt with grass as a fumigant against mosquitoes[16]. The plant is grown on slopes to counter land slides[20].

Product or use
Basketry
Product or use
Insecticide
Product or use
Repellent

Environment

Range
E. Asia - Southwest China to the Himalayas.
Habitat
Wasteland up to 2000 metres in the Himalayas[22]. Mixed thickets on mountain slopes at elevations of 200 - 1400 metres in China[19].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 8+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - sow March in a greenhouse. It does not need any pre-treatment[3]. Germination is usually free and quick. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in early summer of the following year. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 5 - 8cm with a heel, July/August in a frame. Good percentage[23]. Cuttings of mature wood of the current seasons growth, November in a cold frame[3].

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

An easily grown plant, it prefers a light well-drained loamy soil in a warm sunny position sheltered from cold drying winds[1][13]. Succeeds in poor dry soils[16]. Plants tolerate temperatures down to about -10°c[13]. They are not very hardy in Britain, they succeed outdoors at Kew[K], but in general are best given the protection of a sunny wall outside the milder areas of the country[2]. Plants only flower freely after a warm summer, so they are best grown against a sunny wall even in areas where they are hardy[15]. The flowers are produced so late in the season that they are unlikely to produce viable seed in this country even if they flower properly[K]. The plants require abundant summer sunshine in order to ripen their wood fully, the well-ripened wood is more frost resistant[2][7]. There are some named forms, selected for their ornamental value[15]. The leaves and stems are strongly aromatic[11]. The flowers have a most pronounced musk-like perfume[18].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩

  2. Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  3. Dirr. M. A. and Heuser. M. W. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press 1987-00-00 ISBN 0942375009

    ↩1↩2

  4. Gamble. J. S. A Manual of Indian Timbers. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh 1972-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3

  5. ? A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press ISBN 0-914294-92-X

    ↩

  6. Gupta. B. L. Forest Flora of Chakrata, Dehra Dun and Saharanpur. Forest Research Institute Press 1945-00-00

    ↩

  7. Taylor. J. The Milder Garden. Dent 1990-00-00

    ↩

  8. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169

    ↩1↩2↩3

  9. Stuart. Rev. G. A. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre

    ↩

  10. Reid. B. E. Famine Foods of the Chiu-Huang Pen-ts'ao. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre 1977-00-00

    ↩

  11. Thomas. G. S. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. Murray 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-7195-5043-2

    ↩

  12. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

    ↩1↩2

  13. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2

  14. Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985-00-00 ISBN 0-917256-20-4

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6↩7

  15. Grey-Wilson. C. & Matthews. V. Gardening on Walls Collins 1983-00-00 ISBN 0-00-219220-0

    ↩1↩2

  16. Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995-00-00 ISBN 0-7513-020-31

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  17. Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5

  18. Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994-00-00 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8

    ↩

  19. Flora of China 1994-00-00 http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/

    ↩

  20. Manandhar. N. P. Plants and People of Nepal Timber Press. Oregon. 2002-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-527-6

    ↩1↩2

  21. Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984-00-00 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9

    ↩

  22. Polunin. O. and Stainton. A. Flowers of the Himalayas. Oxford Universtiy Press 1984-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3

  23. Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948-00-00

    ↩

Edit this page