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Vitex madiensis - Oliv.

Common Name Ekarukei, Murukukwe
Family Lamiaceae
USDA hardiness 10-12
Known Hazards None known
Habitats Combretum, Terminalia and Brachystegia woodland and flood pans with Brachystegia; grassland, wooded grassland or dense woodlands; at elevations from 1,000 - 1,800 metres[398 ].
Range Tropical Africa - Senegal to Somalia, south to Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique.
Edibility Rating    (4 of 5)
Other Uses    (3 of 5)
Weed Potential No
Medicinal Rating    (2 of 5)
Care (info)
Tender Moist Soil Full sun
Vitex madiensis Ekarukei, Murukukwe


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Vitex madiensis Ekarukei, Murukukwe
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Summary

Found in tropical Africa, Vitex madiensis is a shrub or small tree about 5 m tall with a massive underground woody rootstock. The fruits, oblong to round and purple-black, are edible with a sweet flavor. The leaves and roots have medicinal uses but no further details are mentioned in the report. Bark extracts are used in the treatment of skin diseases and toothache. Essential oil from the leaves has a sweet and penetrating fragrance. The branches are used as chew sticks for teeth and gums. The wood is used for fuel and to make charcoal.


Physical Characteristics

 icon of manicon of lolypop
Vitex madiensis is a TREE growing to 4 m (13ft) by 4 m (13ft) at a medium rate.
See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10. The flowers are pollinated by Bees.
Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid and neutral soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil.

UK Hardiness Map US Hardiness Map

Synonyms

Vitex bakeri B.L.Rob. Vitex barbata Planch. ex Baker Vitex camporum B?ttner Vitex cordata Aubr?v. Vi

Plant Habitats

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Fruit  Oil
Edible Uses: Oil

Fruit - raw or cooked[323 ]. Sweet and mealy[398 ]. The thin pulp clings to the stone, which contains 3 to 4 seeds[323 ]. The purple-black fruit is about the size of an olive[323 ]. The oblong-rounded fruit is about 25mm long and 10 - 20mm wide[398 ].

References   More on Edible Uses

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
Odontalgic  Skin

The leaves and roots have medicinal uses[323 ]. Bark extracts are used in the treatment of skin diseases and toothache[774 ].

References   More on Medicinal Uses

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Other Uses

Charcoal  Cosmetic  Fuel  Oil

Other Uses The leaves yield an essential oil of such sweet and penetrating fragrance that it has been recommended for commercial development[323 ]. The branches are used as chew sticks for maintaining the health of teeth and gums[774 ]. The wood is used for fuel and to make charcoal[398 ].

Special Uses

Food Forest

References   More on Other Uses

Cultivation details

Not known

References   Carbon Farming Information and Carbon Sequestration Information

Temperature Converter

Type a value in the Celsius field to convert the value to Fahrenheit:

Fahrenheit:

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The PFAF Bookshop

Plants For A Future have a number of books available in paperback and digital form. Book titles include Edible Plants, Edible Perennials, Edible Trees,Edible Shrubs, Woodland Gardening, and Temperate Food Forest Plants. Our new book is Food Forest Plants For Hotter Conditions (Tropical and Sub-Tropical).

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Plant Propagation

Seed -

Other Names

If available other names are mentioned here

ekarukei, murukukwe, odoandri, oyelo gwok.

Native Range

AFRICA: Angola, Benin, Burkina, Burundi, Cabinda, Cameroon, Central African Repu, Chad, Congo, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zaïre, Zimbabwe.

Weed Potential

Right plant wrong place. We are currently updating this section. Please note that a plant may be invasive in one area but may not in your area so it’s worth checking.

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants Status : This taxon has not yet been assessed

Related Plants
Latin NameCommon NameHabitHeightHardinessGrowthSoilShadeMoistureEdibleMedicinalOther
Vitex agnus-castusAgnus Castus, Lilac chastetree, Vitex, ChastetreeShrub3.0 7-9 MLMNDM253
Vitex cannabifolia Shrub3.0 -  LMNDM021
Vitex donianaBlack PlumTree15.0 10-12 MLMHSNM434
Vitex keniensisFulu, Mkombachiko, MufuuTree25.0 10-12 FLMNM204
Vitex negundoHuang Ping, Chinese chastetree, Cut Leaf Vitex, Cut-leaf ChastetreeShrub3.0 6-9 MLMNDM232
Vitex payosChocolate BerryTree8.0 10-12 MLMHNDM422
Vitex pinnataKelebanTree20.0 10-12 MLMHNDM024

Growth: S = slow M = medium F = fast. Soil: L = light (sandy) M = medium H = heavy (clay). pH: A = acid N = neutral B = basic (alkaline). Shade: F = full shade S = semi-shade N = no shade. Moisture: D = dry M = Moist We = wet Wa = water.

 

Expert comment

Author

Oliv.

Botanical References

Links / References

For a list of references used on this page please go here
A special thanks to Ken Fern for some of the information used on this page.

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