Vitex rotundifolia L.f.

De Kok, R. (2007). The Genus Vitex L. (Lamiaceae) in New Guinea and the South Pacific Islands. Kew Bulletin, 62(4), 587-603. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/20443390

Conservation

Not threatened.

Cytology

Cytology 2n = 32 or 34 (Wagner et al. 1999).

Distribution

North Australia east to at least Samoa, north to peninsular Malaysia and China. The subspecies is apparently absent from most of the central Pacific, but an isolated population occurs in Hawaii (see notes). Widespread from Samoa to the east coast of Australia, north to south China and Thailand (de Kok 2007).

Ecology

Growing on sandy seashores, coastal dunes and on sandbars along river (up to 10 km from the coast and as high as 200 m altitude). Sometimes growing just above the high water mark.

Morphology General

The whole plant has a strong smell of cats (van Royen 10192)

Morphology General Habit

Prostrate to small erect shrub, 15 - 60 cm high, sometimes forming dense mats of several meters diameter, rooting at nodes

Morphology Leaves

Leaves 1(- 3) palmate, round to obovate or obovate-spathulate, central leaflet 1 - 6.5 x 1 - 4.5 cm, ratio 1 - 2, upper surface glabrous or with only few hairs on the veins, lower surface velutinous, base cuneate, apex rounded to acute, rarely slightly emarginate, margin entire, aromatic when crushed; upper surface green; lower surface pale green to grey-green or silvery; venation pinnate, 4 - 7(- 9) slightly prominent side veins visible on both surfaces; hairs simple, appressed, sometimes with powdery wax

Morphology Leaves Petiole

Petiole 3 - 12 mm long, round in cross-section; hairs velutinous, white, appressed, simple

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens Filaments

Filaments 5 - 10 mm long, equal, glabrous except for tuft of erect simple multicellular hairs at base, inserted at halfway to lower part of the corolla tube, clearly exceeding the corolla tube; anthers c. 1.5 - 2 mm long, black

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx 5 lobed (sometimes not obviously so), velutinous, weakly 5-ribbed, slightly accrescent, lobes up to 1.5 mm long; hairs appressed, simple; glands few; flowering calyx 3 - 4 mm diameter erect; fruiting calyx 3.5 - 4.5 mm diameter, erect

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla (4 -)5 lobed, covered outside with appressed hairs, base glabrous, (purplish-) blue to white, sometimes smells as lavender; glands many, white; lip 4 - 7 x 4 - 4.5 mm, spathulate, apex round to truncated, margin entire, hairs concentrated at base; side lobes 3 - 4.2 x 2 - 3 mm, reflexed, apex round; back lobes 3 - 3.5 x 3 - 3.5 mm, reflexed to erect, fused from 10- 100% of total length, apex acute; tube 7 - 8 mm long, infundibular

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary

Ovary 1 - 1.5 mm diameter, globose, glabrous to a few hairs at apex, apex covered with glands

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Style

Style 8 - 12 mm long, glabrous; stigma 2-lobed, lobes c. 0.5 mm long, apex pointed

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit fresh unknown; dried fruit 3.5 - 7 mm diameter, globose, glabrous, smooth, turning first yellow or purplish, then black when mature

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescence terminal and axillary, paniculate, 4 - 13 cm long, angular; hairs dense, appressed, simple

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts

Bracts usually reduced relative to leaves; bracteole triangular to linear, up to 4 mm long, velutinous, usually persistent

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seed 4 (or fewer by abortion) per fruit

Note

One of the main traditional criteria distinguishing this taxon from Vitex trifolia spp. trifolia is the number of leaflets per leaf. V. trifolia spp. litoralis is supposed to have only one leaflet, whereas V. trifolia spp. trifolia is supposed to have three to five leaflets. As many authors have commented before (see Mabberley & de Kok 2004), this character is not stable between these two taxa and specimens with 1 - 5 leaflets are very common. The name Vitex rotundifolia var. heterophylla Makino is based on this variation. The variation in leaf size and shape within this taxon is considerable, and the Hawaii populations are particularly interesting in this respect. These populations seem to be geographically isolated from the rest of the subspecies, with the nearest other populations in Samoa. Furthermore, the leaves of the Hawaii specimens seem to be part of the larger and rounder part of the general leaf shape spectrum. Leaves on the young shoots, however, are similar in size and shape to the leaves of other populations (see Heller 2731).

Phenology

Flowering and fruiting from June to Jan.

Type

[Indonesia] Lesser Sunda Island, Kisar, E of Wonreli, 22 March 1939, Bloembergen 3894 (holotype L!). Indonesia, Lesser Sunda Is., Kisar, E of Wonreli, 22 April 1939, Bloembergen 3894 (holotype L!).

Vernacular

Malaysia, Kelantan: Gunong pantai (Soepadmo & Suhaimi 158) or Dĕmunla (Corner 25784). Indonesia: Western Flores: Wora tach (Schmutz s.n.).