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Similar but less problematic plants:
Panicum amarum Panicum amarum Elliott var. amarulum
Native alternative(s) for Vitex rotundifolia:
Spartina bakeri Spartina bakeri
Uniola paniculata Uniola paniculata
Plants that fill a similar niche:
Akebia quinata Five parted compound leaves.
Nandina domestica Growing Form
Sassafras albidum Form

Beach Vitex Vitex rotundifolia

Other Common Name(s):

Previously known as:

  • Vitex trifolia ssp. litoralis
Phonetic Spelling
VY-teks roh-tun-di-FOH-lee-ah
This plant is an invasive species in North Carolina
Description

Beach Vitex was brought from Korea to North Carolina beaches in the mid-1980s to protect beaches from coastal erosion. It is very salt spray and drought tolerant.   Within a few years, it spread to natural beaches and undeveloped islands through its rapidly growing runners. Beach Vitex is a serious threat to native dune plants, nesting sites for sea turtles, and foraging and nesting areas for shorebirds from Georgia to Maryland.

It is listed as a Class B Noxious Weed by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. In the coastal counties of North Carolina, it is now illegal to sell, distribute or move this species from one property to another. Beach Vitex: Kudzu of the Coast?

Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No significant problems

 

 

See this plant in the following landscape:
Cultivars / Varieties:
Tags:
#deciduous#vigorous#invasive#drought tolerant#fragrant leaves#nectar plant#salt tolerant#high maintenance#showy fruits#fast growing#wind tolerant#aggressive#Noxious Weed List#naturalizes#hairy leaves#poor soils tolerant#sandy soils tolerant#clay soils tolerant#vine#butterfly friendly#weed#wildlife friendly
 
Cultivars / Varieties:
Tags:
#deciduous#vigorous#invasive#drought tolerant#fragrant leaves#nectar plant#salt tolerant#high maintenance#showy fruits#fast growing#wind tolerant#aggressive#Noxious Weed List#naturalizes#hairy leaves#poor soils tolerant#sandy soils tolerant#clay soils tolerant#vine#butterfly friendly#weed#wildlife friendly
  • Attributes:
    Genus:
    Vitex
    Species:
    rotundifolia
    Family:
    Lamiaceae
    Life Cycle:
    Woody
    Country Or Region Of Origin:
    Korea
    Wildlife Value:
    Flowers attract butterflies.
    Dimensions:
    Height: 1 ft. 0 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.
    Width: 6 ft. 0 in. - 15 ft. 0 in.
  • Whole Plant Traits:
    Plant Type:
    Ground Cover
    Shrub
    Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
    Deciduous
    Habit/Form:
    Spreading
    Growth Rate:
    Rapid
    Maintenance:
    High
  • Cultural Conditions:
    Light:
    Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
    Soil Texture:
    Sand
    Shallow Rocky
    Soil Drainage:
    Good Drainage
    Available Space To Plant:
    12 inches-3 feet
    3 feet-6 feet
    6-feet-12 feet
    12-24 feet
    NC Region:
    Coastal
    Mountains
    Piedmont
    USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
    6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b
  • Fruit:
    Fruit Color:
    Black
    Purple/Lavender
    Fruit Value To Gardener:
    Showy
    Display/Harvest Time:
    Summer
    Fruit Type:
    Drupe
    Fruit Length:
    < 1 inch
    Fruit Width:
    < 1 inch
    Fruit Description:
    Globose fleshy drupe 1/4" diameter round green when unripe, purple-black when ripe becoming dark brown when dry.
  • Flowers:
    Flower Color:
    Blue
    Purple/Lavender
    Flower Inflorescence:
    Cyme
    Panicle
    Flower Bloom Time:
    Spring
    Flower Shape:
    Lipped
    Tubular
    Flower Description:
    Purple blue 3" cymes arranged in a pyramidal panicle. Flowers two-lipped with 5 lobes.
  • Leaves:
    Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
    Deciduous
    Leaf Color:
    Gray/Silver
    Green
    Leaf Feel:
    Soft
    Leaf Value To Gardener:
    Fragrant
    Leaf Type:
    Simple
    Leaf Arrangement:
    Opposite
    Leaf Shape:
    Oblong
    Obovate
    Leaf Margin:
    Entire
    Hairs Present:
    Yes
    Leaf Length:
    1-3 inches
    Leaf Width:
    < 1 inch
    Leaf Description:
    Round, dark gray-green leaves 2 1/2" long with whitish-gray on the underside. Base tapering to rounded apex subacuminate to rounded.
  • Bark:
    Surface/Attachment:
    Fissured
    Bark Description:
    Older stems have attractive fissured bark.
  • Stem:
    Stem Is Aromatic:
    No
    Stem Cross Section:
    Square
  • Landscape:
    Attracts:
    Butterflies
    Resistance To Challenges:
    Drought
    Erosion
    Poor Soil
    Salt
    Wind
    Problems:
    Invasive Species
    Weedy