Botanical Name Plant's Common Name Plant Family   

   MS128 : Vitex trifolia L.

Plant Category : Shrubs

Melghat's Flora's Serial No. :

Synonym : Vitex agnus-castus var. trifolia (L.) Kurz; Vitex indica Mill., nom. superfl.; Vitex integerrima Mill., nom. superfl.; Vitex trifolia var. trifoliolata Schauer, nom. illeg.; Vitex variifolia Salisb., nom. superfl.;

Plant Common Name : Three-Leaved Chaste Tree, Simpleleaf chastetree, Arabian Lilac • Bengali: Pani-samalu • Hindi: Nichinda, Pani-ka-sanbhal • Kannada: karinochi, lakki • Malayalam: Chara-nosi, karinochi, • Manipuri: Urikshibi • Marathi: indrani, lingur, nirgundi • Oriya: svetasurasa • Sanskrit: indranika, indrasurasa, jalanirgundi • Tamil: karunochi, nirnocci • Telugu: chiruvavil

Plant Family : LAMIACEAE

Description : Shrub, 3-6 m high; branches and branchlets obtusely 4-angular or subterete, pubescent; nodes annulate; internodes 2.5-5 cm long. Leaves 1-3 foliolate; petioles slender, canaliculate, 0.5-3.5 cm long, grey-appressed-pubescent; leaflets ovate-oblong or obovate, obtuse or acute to cuneate at base, entire along margins, acuminate at apex; middle leaflets 2.5-6.5 x 1-3.5 cm; petiolules ca 0.5 cm long or subsessile; lateral leaflets 2.5-4.5 x 1-1.5 cm, sessile; chartaceous, dark green pubescent with resinous glands above, white-or grey-tomentose beneath; lateral nerves 7-12 pairs, obscure on both surfaces. Panicles terminal and supraaxillary, 5-26 cm long; peduncles obtusely 4-angular, greyish-pubescent; bracts leaf-like, simple or 3-foliolate, smaller than leaves; bractlets linear, 1-4 mm long, pubescent. Flowers fragrant; pedicels 0.5-1 cm long. Calyx campanulate, 5-toothed, ca 4x 3 mm; teeth triangular, ca 0.2 mm long, greyish-pubescent outside. Corolla hypocrateriform, 2-lipped, 5-lobed, violet, purple or blue; upper lip 2-lobed; lobes ovate, 2 mm; lower lip 3-lobed; midlobe obovate or suborbicular, entire, acute, ca 6 x 5 mm; lateral lobes ovate, acute, ca 3 x 2 mm; tube narrow, ca 4 x 2 mm, densely villous at throat, pubescent, glandular outside. Stamens 4, didynamous; filaments slender, 7-8 mm long, hairy at base, anthers oblong, ca 1 mm long, basifixed. Ovary globose, ca 1 mm, gland-dotted at apex, glabrous at base; style slender, ca 1.5 cm long, glabrous; stigma 2-lobed; lobes subulate, equal. Drupes subglobose or ovoid, ca 6 x 5 mm, black when mature, glabrous; fruiting-calyx cupular, ca 1 cm across, membranous, pubescent.

Plant Location in Melghat : Scarce, only at Chikhaldara

Medicinal Use / Activity : The roots are diaphoretic and diuretic. A decoction is used in the treatment of fevers and liver diseases. It is also taken after childbirth. The leaves are anodyne, anti-septic, diuretic, emmenagogue and febrifuge. They are ground with garlic, pepper, turmeric, and boiled rice and then made into pills which are used in the treatment of consumption. he fresh juice is drunk as a remedy for headache. Fomentations and baths of the leaves are used in the treatment of beriberi. The leaves are used as a dry fomentation or poultice for treating sprains, contusions, rheumatism and swollen testicles. The fruit is said to be nervine, cephalic, and emmenagogue. It is prescribed in the form of powder, an electuary, and a decoction. A decoction of the dried fruits is given in the treatment of common cold, headache, watery eyes and mastitis. The inner bark is chewed and swallowed as a remedy for dysentery.

Plant's Phytochemicals : COMPOUNDS: Agnuside; Artemetin; Aucubin; Casticin; Friedlein; luteolin; Orientin;

ACTIVE COMPOUNDS (3):

Luteolin;

Artemetin;

Aucubin;

Plant's Current Status :

Plant's Cross Database Reference : 259142

Reference : Prabha Y. Bhogaonkar and Pankaj A. Dhole; "Checklist of Flora of Melghat"; Chief Conservator of Forest & Field Director, Melghat Tiger Project, Camp, Amravati (2018 - 2019); Book

Reference : ~ Prabha Y. Bhogaonkar and Pankaj A. Dhole; "Checklist of Flora of Melghat"; Chief Conservator of Forest & Field Director, Melghat Tiger Project, Camp, Amravati (2018 - 2019); Book PMID :

Kingdom : Plantae - Plants
Phylum : Tracheophyta
Subkingdom : Tracheobionta - Vascular plants
Superdivision : Spermatophyta - Seed plants
Division : Magnoliophyta - Flowering plants
Class : Magnoliopsida - Dicotyledons
Subclass : Asteridae
Order : Lamiales
Family : Verbenaceae - Verbena family
Genus : Vitex L. - chastetree
Species : Vitex trifolia L. - simpleleaf chastetree

Vitex trifolia L. - simpleleaf chastetree
Vitex trifolia L. - simpleleaf chastetree
Vitex trifolia L. - simpleleaf chastetree