Vitex doniana Sweet

Deciduous much-branched tree 4.5–12(–24) m. tall, with dark green rounded crown; bole up to 7.2 m. long and 2.6 m. girth; bark pale brown to greyish white with long narrow vertical fissures and stringy ridges or occasionally smooth; slash yellowish white darkening brown; young branchlets glabrous or puberulous to velvety tomentose.. Leaves 5(–7)-foliolate; leaflets obovate, obovate-oblong to-elliptic or nearly obtriangular, 4–24.5 cm. long, 2.5–10.5 cm. wide, rather glaucous beneath, rounded, emarginate, very slightly apiculate or cuspidate at the apex, cuneate at the base, coriaceous, entire, glabrous or midrib puberulous beneath; petiole 5–20 cm. long; petiolules 0.3–2.5 cm. long.. Cymes axillary, much branched, dense to fairly lax, ± 20-flowered, 2.5–7 cm. long, 3–16 cm. wide, velvety brown pubescent; peduncles 2–7.5 cm. long; pedicels 0–2 mm. long; bracts linear, to 6 mm. long; bracteoles narrowly triangular, 2 mm. long.. Calyx 3–5 mm. long, shallowly toothed, rusty brown hairy, accrescent.. Corolla white to rose with lower lip violet or purple or all mauve, at least sometimes with yellow honey guide, densely brown velvety tomentose outside; limb with 4 ovate lobes 3 mm. long and one larger, obovate and crinkly, 4.5 mm. long.. Fruit black, oblong-ellipsoid, (1.8–)3 cm. long, 1.5–2 cm. wide, glabrous, sitting in a shallow cup 1–1.5 cm. wide.

It is a tropical plant. It grows in the lowlands and the highlands. It occurs in coastal woodlands in East Africa. It is generally at lower altitudes and can be in savannah. It grows in the Sahel. It requires a high water table. It suits areas with a rainfall between 700-2,000 mm per year. It grows naturally in areas with minimum temperatures of 10°C and maximum of 31°C. It grows from sea level to 1900 m altitude in Tanzania. It tends to be on alluvial soils or near watercourses. It can grow in arid places. It grows in Miombo woodland in Africa.

The pounded pulp of the fruit is put in a basket and water is strained through it repeatedly. The extract is then concentrated by boiling. The ripe (black) fruit are eaten fresh. The fruit are also candied or made into jam and wine. Young leaves are cooked and eaten with peanut paste and salt and pepper. Fruit can be sun dried and stored for later use. The fruit are roasted and used to make a drink substitute for tea or coffee. The seeds inside the hard shell are edible.

Plants are grown from seed. Because several seedlings can grow from each nut and these can be pricked out as separate plants, it is probably best to grow seedlings in a nursery and separate them before planting into the field. To collect seed the fleshy part of the fruit should be removed then the seed soaked in cold water for 24 hours to quicken germination. Germination can be slow. It can take 3 months for seeds to germinate. Seed are best sown fresh but if dry stored for 1 year before planting the germination time is shortened to 1.5-2 months. Plants can be grown from root suckers. Plants can be budded.