Balage / Peacock Chaste Tree
Vitex altissima
Also known as Tail Chaste Tree, Peacock's Foot Tree
- Habit
- Tree
- Found in India
- Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala & more
- Flowering
- April-December
How to identify Balage
Identify Balage by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a tree habit.
- Confirm leaf arrangement: Opposite.
- Confirm flower colour: Purple.
- Confirm flower arrangement: Panicle.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: April-December.
- In India, compare location records such as Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Maharashtra and nearby regions.
- Confirm it sits within the Verbenaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Balage.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Vitex altissima
- Genus
- Vitex
- Family
- Verbenaceae
- Habit
- Tree
- Habitat
- Moist deciduous and semi-Evergreen forests, also in sacred groves
- Habitat type
- Forest
- Native to
- Tropical Asia
- Distribution
- India, Sri Lanka, Malesia, Indo-China
- Found in India
- Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Maharashtra, Goa, Arunachal Pradesh, West Bengal
- Flowering & fruiting
- April-December
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf arrangement
- OppositerecordedTwo leaves arise from the stem at the same point, facing each other.“The leaves are trifoliolate or palmate, compound and opposite.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
Characters marked “recorded” are for Balage itself; the rest are typical of the Verbenaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- PurplerecordedPurple or violet
- Flower arrangement
- PaniclerecordedA branching cluster of clusters.“The inflorescences are in terminal panicles.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Fruit type
- DruperecordedA fleshy fruit with a single hard stone/pit enclosing the seed.“The purplish black fruit is a four-seeded drupe.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Zygomorphic (bilaterally symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Cyme
- Fruit
- Drupe
Characters marked “recorded” are for Balage itself; the rest are typical of the Verbenaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Nepali
- तिन पात्ते Tin Paatte
- Tamil
- காட்டு நொச்சி Kattu-Nocci, மயிலை நொச்சி Mayilai-Nocci, மயிலாடி Mayilati
- Telugu
- బూసిచెట్టు Busi Chettu, గండరపు Gandarupu, మయూరము Mayuramu
- Kannada
- ಭರಣಿಗೆ Bharanige, ದೊಡ್ಡ ಲಕ್ಕಿ Dodda Lakki, ಮೈರೊಳೆ Myrole
- Malayalam
- മൈല Maila, മയിലെള്ള് Mayilellu
- Marathi
- बलगे Balage, बनलगाय Banalagaay
About Balage
Peacock Chaste Tree (Vitex altissima) is a tree in the Verbenaceae family. In India it has been recorded in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and 4 other states. It grows in moist deciduous and semi-Evergreen forests, also in sacred groves. Flowering and fruiting run from April to December.
Verbenaceae
Verbena/Teak family
Balage belongs to the Verbenaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Verbenaceae familySnap it. Know it.
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Common plant problems
If you are starting from symptoms instead of a diagnosis, use the plant disease symptom checker to narrow the cause before treating.
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