Vitex doniana aka Black Plum
Taxonomy ID: 22000
Vitex doniana, or black plum, is a deciduous tree in Lamiaceae. Its native range covers tropical Africa and the western Indian Ocean. In Africa, it grows from Senegal east to Sudan. Its range extends south to Angola, Zambia and Mozambique. It grows in forests, wooded savannah and thickets beside rivers. It also occurs in coastal woodland and upland grassland. The species has a Least Concern conservation rating.
The tree forms a broad, rounded crown and grows at a moderate rate. Reported heights range from 49–66 feet [15–20 metres]. Some trees reach 82 feet [25 metres]. PFAF gives a spread of 49 feet [15 metres]. The trunk may lack branches for 16 feet [5 metres]. Pale brown or grey-white bark has long cracks and ridges. The leaves grow in opposite pairs and have five leaflets. These spread like fingers from a hand. Their surfaces are firm, leathery and shiny.
Fragrant flowers grow in stalked groups of up to 20. Each cream flower has one hairy violet lobe. Bees and sunbirds pollinate the flowers. The smooth, oblong fruit starts green with white dots. It turns black as it ripens. People eat the sweet, mealy flesh raw or cooked. They also make jam, wine and syrup from the fruit. The taste recalls prunes. Edible leaves and fruits reach local markets, while villagers also gather wild crops.
Black plum suits hot tropical climates and grows best in sun. It can also grow in light shade. It prefers moist soil that drains well. It accepts sandy, loamy and clay soils, including poor ground. Preferred daytime temperatures span 14–28°C, with a reported tolerance of 10–36°C. PFAF lists USDA zones 10–12. Seeds have hard coats that can delay sprouting. Soaking or careful abrasion can help water enter. Growers also use cuttings and root suckers.
The crown gives shade, and fallen leaves can serve as mulch. Sources report nitrogen-fixing roots that help enrich soil. People use the wood for furniture, fuel and charcoal. Leaves, bark and fruit also supply ink or dye. The tree has many traditional medicinal uses. Its sawdust can cause skin inflammation. Research found temporary reproductive effects in female olive baboons after heavy fruit consumption. That finding does not establish the same effect in people.
Common names
Black Plum, Prune Fingerleaf, DunyaMore information about Black Plum
How difficult is Black Plum to grow?
Vitex doniana is a tropical tree of African forests and savannas, not a houseplant. Where conditions allow (USDA zones 10-12, full sun, well-drained alluvial soil), it is reasonably easy to establish from seed or root suckers, with reported plantation survival of 80-90% after three years.
How big does Black Plum get and how fast does it grow?
Growth rate is moderate. In northern Côte d'Ivoire plantations, seedlings averaged 70-90 cm tall after three years (tallest 170 cm). Mature trees most commonly reach 4-15 metres, but on favourable sites can develop into substantial trees up to 20-25 metres tall with a clear bole of 5-11 metres and trunks up to 1.6 metres in diameter.
How much water does Black Plum need?
Vitex doniana prefers moist conditions and is naturally found along rivers and in wet localities. Annual rainfall of 750-2,000 mm is optimal, though the species tolerates 600-2,500 mm. It does not tolerate prolonged drought as well as many savanna trees but is far from aquatic.
What soil does Black Plum prefer?
The species grows on a wide range of well-drained soils — sandy, loamy or clay — but performs best on alluvial soils along watercourses. Optimum soil pH is 5.5-7, tolerating 5 to 7.5.
What temperature range does Black Plum tolerate?
Optimal daytime temperatures fall between 14 and 28 °C, with the species tolerating extremes from about 10 to 36 °C. It is a tropical and subtropical tree (USDA zones 10-12) and is not frost hardy.
How does Black Plum behave through the seasons?
The tree is deciduous in much of its range, dropping its leaves before flowering. Flowering occurs in the second half of the dry season or at the beginning of the rainy season, with fruit ripening in different months by region — August in Gabon, April-July in Tanzania and April-September in Zambia.
What are Black Plum flowers like?
Flowers appear at the end of the dry season or beginning of the rains, are highly fragrant in the typical Vitex pattern and are extremely attractive to bees; sunbirds also visit them for nectar. They are followed by purplish-black, fleshy drupes about 2-3 cm long.
Are there varieties or cultivars of Black Plum?
No infraspecific cultivars or varieties are widely recognised. Several historical names — Vitex cienkowskii, V. cuneata, V. divaricata and V. paludosa — are now treated as synonyms of V. doniana.
How do you grow Black Plum outdoors?
Outside its tropical African range, Vitex doniana can be grown outdoors only in frost-free climates (USDA zones 10-12). It needs full sun, well-drained soil with pH 5.5-7, and reliable summer rainfall or irrigation in the 750-2,000 mm range.
How should Black Plum be pruned?
The species responds productively to coppicing, indicating it tolerates hard cutting back; this is also exploited as a propagation method via root suckers and stump regrowth.
How is Black Plum propagated?
Propagation is most commonly from seed, but the hard seed coat means germination is greatly improved by hot-water soaking, mechanical scarification or fire exposure. Trees also propagate readily from root suckers, coppice regrowth and cuttings.
What pests and diseases affect Black Plum?
The mealybug Rastrococcus invadens is documented as a pest of Vitex doniana. Sawdust from the wood may cause dermatitis in sensitive people.
How is Black Plum pollinated?
Vitex doniana is mainly insect-pollinated, with bees being the dominant visitors and honey-bees harvesting nectar from the fragrant flowers. Sunbirds also visit the blossoms and may contribute to pollination.
Is Black Plum edible and how is it eaten?
The tree is highly valued for food. The black, prune-like fruits are eaten raw or made into jam, syrup, juice, wine and alcoholic liquor; cooked young leaves and shoots are an esteemed vegetable; and the kernels inside the fruit stone are roasted as a coffee substitute. The pulp provides about 435 kJ per 100 g and is a good source of potassium and iron.
What are the medicinal uses of Black Plum?
Vitex doniana is a major medicinal plant in tropical Africa. Bark, root, leaf and fruit preparations are used traditionally for dysentery, diarrhoea, anaemia, jaundice, leprosy, fevers, respiratory disease, conjunctivitis, headaches and postpartum bleeding. Modern research has shown antibacterial activity against Salmonella typhi, Shigella dysenteriae and E. coli, plus hepatoprotective and hypotensive effects from stem-bark extracts.
What are other uses of Black Plum?
Beyond food and medicine, the medium-density wood is used for furniture, carving, boats, tool handles, light building and as firewood or charcoal. Boiling the leaves, bark, roots or fruits yields a black ink and dye, twigs serve as antimicrobial chewing sticks, and the seeds yield about 30% oil suitable for skin creams, resins and paint. Heavy crown shade, leaf-fall and reputed nitrogen-fixing roots make it useful in agroforestry.
Sources
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