Chastetree, Chaste Tree              VI-teks AG-nus-KAS-tus

• Broadleaf deciduous tree or shrub, 10-20 ft (3-6 m) tall, upright branching, rounded form.  Leaves opposite, palmately compound, 5-7(9) leaflets, lanceolate to elliptic, 15-20 cm long, 1.3-2.5 cm wide, tapering at both ends, entire or toothed near apex, gray-green above, grayish below; aromatic when bruised.  Flowers small, corolla about 8 mm, lilac or pale violet, fragrant, in dense, erect clusters 10-18 cm long.  Fruit globose, 3-4 mm, purple, pungent flavor.
• Sun, does well in heat, best in well-drained soil.
• Hardy to USDA Zone (6)7      Native to southern Europe and western Asia.  Several cultivars available, including white flowered and variegated forms.
• agnus-castus: old name for this plant, from agnos the Greek name and Latin castus, both meaning chaste (Coombes, 1985).
• Silverton, Oregon: The Oregon Garden