Montrose Purple Vitex: Vitex agnus-castus verbenaceae
In the Verbena family, this pest free-sun loving tree goes by many names. Most commonly known as Vitex, this wonderful tree can also be known as Texas lilac, Indian spice, Hemp tree, Pepper tree and Monks pepper tree.
The fragrant flowers are bright lavender in color and full of nectar which makes this tree a great choice to attract Hummingbirds and Butterflies.
A fast growing deciduous tree that can grow to be 18′ tall and 10-15′ wide. Drought tolerant and given the name “Pepper Tree” during the Great Depression, the Vitex seeds were used as a pepper substitute.
This Purple Vitex is one of my favorites and makes for a wonderful focal point in any courtyard, patio or landscape design.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions you might have.
Happy Gardening!
Portia Leyendecker
i love your website…i am just so curious what your next post will be!
I saw this tree in someone’s yard the other day, with the beautiful lavender colored blossoms, and I wondered what it was.
Love the blog; the photos are gorgeous!
Do you have any of these plants available?
Thanks,
John