Local names:
Hindi (selonphang,mayilai,balgay,balage,ashoi), Nepali (tin-patte)
Vitex altissima is a medium-sized tree up to 25(-33) m tall; leaves 3-foliolate, petiole winged towards the apex. Leaflets slightly pubescent below. Inflorescence axillary and terminal, paniculate; calyx lobes subequal, c. 1 mm long, corolla whitish-purple to violet. Fruit subglobose, 5-8 mm in diameter, bluish-black when mature.
Ecology
V. altissima is common in forests in India and Sri Lanka, but probably rather rare in Malesia.
Native range
Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Sri Lanka
Tree management
V. atissima showed a mean annual diameter increment of 0.6 cm in Burma (Myanmar).
V. altissima is common in forests in India and Sri Lanka, but probably rather rare in Malesia.
Timber: The density of the wood is 800-1010 kg/m cubic at 15% moisture content; the wood is hard and durable. The timber is used for construction, cabinet-work, furniture, turnery, agricultural implements and cart wheels; it is highly prized in India and Sri Lanka.
Tannin or dyestuff: A yellow dye can be extracted from the wood.
Medicine: The juice from the bark is used externally against rheumatic swellings and chest pains.
Ornamental: The tree seems to have good prospects as an ornamental.