Vitex rotundifolia (Beach Vitex)

  • TropPlant Accession Number (TPAN): 0126
  • Botanical Name: Vitex rotundifolia
  • Common Name: Beach Vitex, Monk's Pepper, Roundleaf chaste tree, Pohinahina (Hawaii)
  • Cultivar: N/A
  • Family: Lamiaceae
Vitex rotundifolia 
Photo by Matthew Gaston

  • Native To: Coastal ranges from India to Korea to Hawaii to Australia (widespread)

Landscaping Information

    • Plant Type: Shrub, Groundcover
    • Texture: Medium
    • Form: Mound to Mat
    • Height (on average, in landscape use):  3'
    • Height to Spread Ratio: 2:3
    • Growth Rate: Medium to Fast
    • Landscape Values: Border, Color, Edging, Facer, Filler, Foundation, Framing, Groundcover, Hedge, Erosion Control
    • Outstanding Quality: Flower Color, Foliage Color, Fragrance, Form/Silhouette, Foliage Characters
    Vitex rotundifolia 
    Photo by Matthew Gaston

    Botanical Descriptions

    • Flowers: Mint-type flowers, blueish purple to purple. 0.5" long.
    Vitex rotundifolia flower
    Photo by Matthew Gaston

    Vitex rotundifolia flower (low quality)
    Photo by Matthew Gaston

    • Fruits: Drupe, 0.25" wide, blueish purple to black when ripe.
    Vitex rotundifolia fruits ripening
    Photo by Matthew Gaston

    • Foliage Color: Young/immature: soft, white green. Mature: Gray Green to Bright Medium Green.
    • Foliage Tip: Rounded to Emarginated
    • Foliage Base: Acute
    • Petiole: 0.1"-0.25"
    • Stipules: N/A
    • Margins: Smooth
    • Leaf Arrangement: Opposite
    Vitex rotundifolia leaves
    Photo by Matthew Gaston

    • Leaf Shape: orbiculate to ovate
    • Leaf Type: Simple
    • Leaf Texture: Waxy, soft, thin, somewhat leathery, small hairs
    • Leaf Special Notes: silvery green leaves densely arranged. Leaves are fragrant reminiscent of a coastal chaparral spice.  
    Vitex rotundifolia leaf adaxial surface
    Photo by Matthew Gaston

    Vitex rotundifolia leaf abaxial surface
    Photo by Matthew Gaston

    • Bark and Trunk: Smooth to slightly rough light brown to beige bark.  

    Horticultural Information

      • Light Preference:  Full Sun.
      • Light Tolerances: Semi-Sun
      • Soil Preferences: Not too Particular, Sand, Dry (Mesic), Well-Drained.
      • Tolerances: Compacted Soil, Salt Air, Saline Soil, Moderate Winds, Humidity, Drought
      • Water Requirements: Moderate
      • Notes on Maintenance: Low Maintenance, allow room to spread outward.
      • Propagation: Seeds, Cutting, Root Division. 
      • Minimum USDA Hardiness Zone: 7a-10a
      • Weed Risk Assessment Score (WRA): native to Hawaii, ergo no report, but in the south eastern United States it is highly invasive and disrupting fragile shoreline. Learn more here.



      Most Popular Plants

      Graptophyllum pictum (Caricature Plant)

      Image
      T ropPlant Accession Number (TPAN) : 0002 Botanical Name: Graptophyllum pictum Common Name: Caricature Plant Cultivars: 'Igneum', 'Lurido-sanguineum', 'Tricolor'/'Waimea', 'Eldorado' Family: Acanthaceae  (Acanthus Family) Graptophyllum pictum   Photo by Matthew Gaston Graptophyllum pictum 'Igneum'  Photo by Matthew Gaston Graptophyllum pictum 'Lurido-sanguineum'  Photo by Matthew Gaston Graptophyllum pictum 'Eldorado'  Photo by Matthew Gaston Graptophyllum pictum 'Tricolor' (believed to be the same as Graptophyllum pictum 'Waimea') Photo by Matthew Gaston Native To: New Guinea Landscaping Information
      Read More»

      Ficus microcarpa var. crassifolia (Wax Fig)

      Image
      T ropPlant Accession Number (TPAN) : 0016 Botanical Name: Ficus microcarpa var. crassifolia Common Name: Wax Fig, Taiwan Ficus Variety: crassifolia Family: Moraceae Native To: Southern Taiwan Ficus microcarpa var. crassifolia leaves. Note the bronze to bright yellow-green young leaves.  Photo by Matthew Gaston Landscaping Information Plant Type : Shrub Texture: Dense Form: Mound, Cushion Height (on average, in landscape use): 1.5' - 4' Height to Spread Ratio: 1:2 Growth Rate: Fast Landscape Values: Border, Color, Edging, Facer, Filler, Foundation, Framing, Hedge, Indoor, Lanai, Patio, Space Division, Groundcover, Specimen Outstanding Quality: Foliage and Form; often used for Bonsai  Ficus microcarpa var. crassifolia  as a hedge/groundcover below a tree  Photo by Matthew Gaston Botanical Descriptions Flowers/Fruits: paired figs, sessile, 0.2"-0.4" long, glabrous, purple to black when ripe.
      Read More»

      Bucida buceras 'Variegated' (Dwarf Variegated Geometry Tree)

      Image
      TropPlant Accession Number (TPAN) : 0083 Botanical Name: Bucida buceras 'Variegated' Common Name: Dwarf Variegated Geometry Tree, Variegated Madagascar Almond, Spiny Black Olive, Oxhorn Bucida Cultivar: 'Variegata' Family: Combretaceae Native To: Mexico, Central America, The Caribbean, and Northern South America Bucida beceras ' Variegata' growing in a Malaysian neighborhood parkway Photo by Mahmud Yussop of Laman Kambatik Plants List Landscaping Information Plant Type : Broadleaf Evergreen Tree Texture: Fine, Open Form: Upright-Narrow to Spreading, somewhat Irregular Height (on average, in landscape use): 5'-8' (As a house plant), 30'-60' (Outdoors) Height to Spread Ratio: 1:1 to 2:1 Growth Rate: Fast Landscape Values: Accent, Street Tree, Color, Framing, Indoor, Lanai, Patio, Sculptural Form, Specimen, Windbreak, Erosion Control, Shade Outstanding Quality: Foliage Color, Variegation,
      Read More»

      Pseuderanthemum carruthersii var. carruthersii (Variegated False Eranthemum)

      Image
      T ropPlant Accession Number (TPAN) : 0005 Botanical Name: Pseuderanthemum carruthersii var. carruthersii (syn. Pseuderanthemum reticulata) Common Name: Variegated False Eranthemum, El Dorado, El Dorado False Eranthemum, El Dorado Eranthemum, Yellow Veined Eranthemum Variety: carruthersii (See Additional Notes at the bottom of the page) Family: Acanthaceae Pseuderanthemum carruthersii var. carruthersii  Photo by Matthew Gaston Native To:   Melanesia   Landscaping Information Plant Type : Shrub Texture: Dense Form:   Upright-broad Height (on average, in landscape use):   4'- 6' Height to Spread Ratio: 1:1 Growth Rate: Medium Landscape Values: Background, Border, Color, Edging, Facer, Filler, Foundation, Framing, Hedge (large one really), Mass, Screen, Space Division Outstanding Quality: Foliage Characters Pseuderanthemum carruthersii var. carruthersii growing tightly between a walkway and a wall.  Photo by Matthew Gaston
      Read More»

      Jatropha integerrima (Peregrina)

      Image
      TropPlant Accession Number (TPAN) : 0069 Botanical Name:   Jatropha integerrima Common Name: Peregrina, Spicy Jatropha, Rose-Colored Jatropha, Fire Cracker Jatropha Cultivar: N/A Family: Euphorbiaceae Jatropha integerrima  Photo by Matthew Gaston Native To: Hispaniola and Cuba Landscaping Information:  Plant Type : Treelet Texture: Medium, Open Form:  Round Headed to Upright-broad. Can be somewhat easily trimmed into a Spreading form. Height (on average, in landscape use): 10'-20' Height to Spread Ratio: 1:1 Growth Rate: Medium Landscape Values: Accent, Color, Framing, Screen, Specimen Outstanding Quality: Flower Color Jatropha integerrima  Photo by Matthew Gaston Jatropha integerrima  in Honolulu acting as a large hedge and screen. Note the staircase where the plant can be appreciated from above. Photo by Matthew Gaston Jatropha integerrima at UH Manoa trimmed into a spreading form Photo by Matthew
      Read More»

      Breynia disticha (Snow Bush)

      Image
      TropPlant Accession Number (TPAN) : 0151 Botanical Name: Breynia disticha 'Roseopicta' Common Name: Snowbush, Snow bush, Ice-Cream Bush, Calico Plant, Sweetpea Bush, Foliage Flower Shrub, Laukalakoa (Hawaiian) Cultivar: 'Roseopicta' is likely the cultivar seen in the images on this page. Family: Phyllanthaceae Breynia disticha Photo by Matthew Gaston Native To: Vanuatu and New Caledonia  Landscaping Information Plant Type : Treelet, Shrub Texture: Dense Form: Upright-broad to even Weeping/Irregular, but usually seen trimmed into a hedge Height (on average, in landscape use): 2'- 4' (can reach 10' in ideal conditions) Height to Spread Ratio: 1:1 to 1:2 Growth Rate: Medium to Fast Landscape Values: Accent, Background, Border, Color, Edging, Facer, Filler, Foundation, Framing, Hedge, Mass, Quick Effect, Specimen Outstanding Quality: Foliage Color Breynia disticha between a fence and
      Read More»