Vitex doniana Sweet

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Photo: Bart Wursten
School site Nhancuco, lower slopes, Mt Gorongosa

Photo: Bart Wursten
Along road to Civetta ranger post, Gorongosa National Park.

Photo: Bart Wursten
Road between gates, Gorongosa National Park

Photo: Bart Wursten
Along road from Nhabawa to Chikukwa, Chimanimani National Reserve

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Synonyms:
Common names:	Black plum (English) Prune fingerleaf (English)
Frequency:
Status:	Native
Description:	Medium-sized deciduous tree with a rounded crown. Leaves palmately divided with 3-7 leaflets, mostly 5 with the lower leaflets distinctly smaller; leaflets obovate, leathery, dark green above, paler below, mostly hairless except for a few stellate hairs on the midrib below; apex rounded or notched, occasionally abruptly acuminate. Flowers in branched axillary heads, blue, violet or white with the lower lobe darker. Fruit ellipsoid, c. 3 × 2 cm, fleshy, hairless, purple-black, edible.
Notes:
Derivation of specific name:
Habitat:	At the margins of evergreen and riverine forest and in woodland.
Altitude range:	Up to 1750 m
Flowering time:	Aug - Nov
Worldwide distribution:	Widespread in tropical Africa and the Comoro Islands
Malawi distribution:	N,C,S
Growth form(s):	Tree.
Endemic status:
Red data list status:
Insects associated with this species:
Spot characters:	Display spot characters for this species
Literature:	Burrows, J.E. & Willis, C.K. (eds) (2005). Plants of the Nyika Plateau Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 31 SABONET, Pretoria Page 192. (Includes a picture). Burrows, J.E., Burrows, S.M., Lötter, M.C. & Schmidt, E. (2018). Trees and Shrubs Mozambique Publishing Print Matters (Pty), Cape Town. Page 854. (Includes a picture). Chapano, C. & Mamuto, M. (2003). Plants of the Chimanimani District National Herbarium and Botanic Garden, Zimbabwe Page 58. Drummond, R.B. (1975). A list of trees, shrubs and woody climbers indigenous or naturalised in Rhodesia. Kirkia 10(1) Page 271. Fernandes, R. (2005). Lamiaceae (subfamilies: Viticoideae and Ajugoideae) Flora Zambesiaca 8(7) Pages 85 - 86. Mapaura, A. & Timberlake, J. (eds) (2004). A checklist of Zimbabwean vascular plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 33 Sabonet, Pretoria and Harare Page 57. Strugnell, A.M. (2006). A Checklist of the Spermatophytes of Mount Mulanje, Malawi Scripta Botanica Belgica 34 National Botanic Garden of Belgium Page 184. Timberlake, J.R., Bayliss, J., Dowsett-Lemaire, F., Congdon, C., Branch, B., Collins, S., Curran, M., Dowsett, R,J., Fishpool, L., Francisco, J., Harris, Kopp, M. & de Sousa, C. (2012). Mt Mabu, Mozambique: Biodiversity and Conservation Report produced under the Darwin Initiative Award 15/036. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, London Page 73.

Other sources of information about Vitex doniana:

Our websites:

Flora of Burundi: Vitex doniana
Flora of Mozambique: Vitex doniana
Flora of Zambia: Vitex doniana
Flora of Zimbabwe: Vitex doniana

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Vitex doniana
African Plant Database: Vitex doniana
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Vitex doniana
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Vitex doniana
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Vitex doniana
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Vitex doniana
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Vitex doniana
JSTOR Plant Science: Vitex doniana
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Vitex doniana
Plants of the World Online: Vitex doniana
Tropicos: Vitex doniana
Wikipedia: Vitex doniana