Japanese name: ミツバハマゴウ Scientific name:Vitex trifolia
[Overview]
A deciduous shrub 1–2 m tall, growing in lowlands near the coast and along riverbanks.
The whole plant is fragrant.
The stems are erect or ascending.
The leaves are opposite and usually trifoliate; the leaflets are obovate to obovate-elliptic, 3–8 cm long, with slightly pointed tips and a grayish white underside.
The leaf margins are entire.
The petiole is 1–2 cm long.
Some leaves are simple, and some have 2–5 leaflets.
Panicles 5–14 cm long are produced at the branch tips.
The flowers are pale reddish purple, and the corolla is funnel-shaped, 0.5–1 cm long, with the tip divided into 5 lobes in two lips.
There are 4 stamens, which protrude out of the flower.
The fruit is a sphere 0.5 cm in diameter.
[Uses]
The leaves and fruit are used medicinally.
The fruit is also used as a bath additive.
[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed or by cuttings.
It can overwinter outdoors in regions without frost.
It prefers sunny, well-drained soil.
For potted plants, water thoroughly when the soil surface dries; for plants in the ground, rainfall is sufficient unless sunny weather continues and the soil dries out.
Place slow-release fertilizer on the soil in winter.
There are no particular pests or diseases.
