Vitex rehmannii

Vitex rehmannii, the pipe-stem fingerleaf, is a shrub or small, drooping branch tree, often reaching 6 m in height, occasionally 9 m (SA Tree List No. 664).

The species distribution is in the northeast of South Africa, in all the provinces north of the Vaal River, as well as KwaZulu-Natal and some neighbouring countries. The photo was taken at Mabalingwe in Limpopo.

The trees habitat is open bushveld and rocky slopes. The species is not considered to be threatened in its habitat early in the twenty first century.

The tree has yellowish grey wood with good features for carpentry, usually the crafting of smaller items.

The pipe-stem common name indicates one popular use made of the wood. The hollow, young branches served well as stems for the pipes used in tobacco smoking. Those were the days when pipe smoking was more popular than today and pipes were home made.

The leaves have found their way into traditional medicine (Coates Palgrave, 2002; Schmidt, et al, 2002; http://redlist.sanbi.org).