(Vitex agnus- castus)
Family: Verbenaceae

Description
A large deciduous multi-stemmed shrub or small tree. Height is 10–15 ft. (3–4 m). Leaves are 4–8 in. (10–20 cm) long, 2–4 in. (5–10 cm) wide. They are blue to blue-green in color, opposite and palmately compound. Bark is thin and easily damaged from mechanical impact. Flowering in the spring with lavender colored and pleasant smelling flowers. Fruit is black and fleshy.

Habitat
Loose, well-drained soils that are moist but not wet. Non-native to New Mexico.

Discussion
The common name comes from ancient Greece when Athenian women used the leaves in their beds to keep themselves chaste during the feasts of Ceres.