Vitex compressa
Turcz.
Compressed chaste tree
(c) James VanKley, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by James VanKley
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What to Eat
Edible parts: Fruit
The fleshy fruit pulp is edible.
Where to Find It
It is a tropical plant. It grows near marshes and in forests on ridges.
Colombia, Guiana, Guianas, Guyana, Jamaica, Peru, Puerto Rica, South America, Suriname, Venezuela, West Indies,
How to Identify
A tree. It grows 20 m high. The leaves have 5 leaflets. The middle 3 leaflets are not equal. The leaf stalks are 5-12 cm long. The flower panicles are 11-30 cm long and 3-5 cm wide. The fruit is fleshy and round of flattened. It is 1.3 cm long by 1.5 cm wide. It is purple when ripe. The pulp is edible.
Other Uses
We have no information on the wood for this species. However, we have a general description for the wood of S. American species of this genus, which is as follows:- The heartwood is variable according to the species, ranging from yellowish-brown through deep brown, olive-green or olive-brown; it is usually not sharply demarcated from the whitish, yellow, or pale brown sapwood. The texture is rather fine to moderately coarse; the grain straight, sometimes irregular; lustre ranges from low to high; there is no distinctive odour or taste. A silica content of 0.76% is reported. Depending on the species, durability varies from moderately durable to very durable when exposed to a white-rot and brown-rot fungus. Actual field exposures show some species as durable and others as susceptible to attack by decay fungi and insects. Reports are also variable on seasoning, material from Panama had a moderate drying rate and no appreciable defects. The wood is easy to work with both hand and machine tools, though there is some tearing if grain is irregular; it takes a high polish. It is used for purposes such as furniture, millwork, veneer and plywood, general carpentry, mallet heads, flooring.
Notes
Also put in the family Verbenaceae.
Names & Synonyms
Aceituna, Alasoabo, Boskalebas, Cenicero, Guaratato, Guarataro lechoso, Hakiaballi, Kalebashout, Krabasi-oedoe, Kulaballi, Taroema, Totumillo, Totumillo blanco, Watra-grin
References (4)
- Grandtner, M. M. & Chevrette, J., 2013, Dictionary of Trees, Volume 2: South America: Nomenclature, Taxonomy and Ecology. Academic Press p 694
- Lopez-Diago, D. & Garcia, N., 2021, Wild edible fruits of Colombia. Biota ColomBiana 22 (2) p 39
- Roa, J. A. G. & Boada, D. S. G., 2018, Fundación para el Fortalecimiento de la Fruticultura y Plantas Alimenticias no Convencionales en Colombia.
- van Roosmalen, M.G.M., 1985, Fruits of the Guianan Flora. Utrecht Univ. & Wageningen Univ. p 432
