Re: Vitex lucens was RE: Belated Oleanders and Vitex
Karl Hoover wrote:
>
> This sounds delightful. So what is the hardiness of this plant?
> Just how cold does it get in Wellington. I'd really like to
> give this tree a try in my back yard there is one spot that might
> provide enough water for it. Is the timber any good?
Hi Karl
The nearest place to me where I know these grow is the Huut river valley
where winter frosts would rarely exceed -2 degrees C ( say 28F) very
rarely (once in 15 years maybe) they might get -3 degrees (that's 26.6
F). With this sort of cold the Puriris seem quite unaffected and bear
undamaged leaves all winter.
Like so many other borderline hardy plants the critical time is during
the very early years and covering it when young against frost could be
well worth while.
If you can get it through the early stages and it otherwise likes the
climate it could live 2,000 years !!!
As to the timber, it is described as "one of the most valuable of the NZ
hardwoods. The wood is dark brown in colour, very hard desnse and heavy
and of great strength. It is difficult to work on account of its
irregular grain but has been used for railway sleepers, fence posts,
house blocks and bridging"
In fact a lot growing locally is spoilt by the burrows of the Puriri
moth caterpillar. This is one of the handsomest of our native moths
being very large and a delicate pale green. Like so much of our limited
native fauna this is cherished rather than controlled as the tree
tolerates it well, no doubt as they have evolved toghether.
Moira
>
> NZ actually has its own native Vitex (like so much of our flora an
> endemic). This (Vitex lucens - Puriri) is certainly not a bushy species
> but a very large forest tree and nobody could confuse it with a buddlea.
> The handsome dark green leaves well set off the pinkish-red flowers
> which are individually quite large and produced almost all year round.
> They are followed by bright red round fruits very popular with our
> precious native pigeons.
>
> It is only marginally hardy in the Wellington region, which keeps it
> fairly small locally, but further north with no such inhibition it grows
> too large for anything but very big gardens or public parks.
>
--
Tony & Moira Ryan <theryans@xtra.co.nz>
Wainuiomata (near Wellington, capital city of New Zealand)
