Vitex parviflora
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Lamiaceae
Genus: Vitex
Species:
V. parviflora
Binomial name
Vitex parviflora

Vitex parviflora[2] is a species of plant in the family Verbenaceae, also known as smallflower chastetree[3] or the molave tree. The name "molave" is from Spanish, derived from mulawin,[4] the Tagalog word for the tree.[5][6] It is also known as tugas in Visayan languages.[7][6] It yields one of two woods from the same genus called molave wood, the other being Vitex cofassus.

It is a native species in Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines.[8] It can also be found in Central and South America, the Caribbean, Oceania, and Asia.[8] It was reported to be an invasive species in Guam and Hawaii after it became naturalized in O’ahu and escaped from cultivation in Guam.[8] In Cuba, it is also considered as a possibly invasive species due to naturalization.[8]

It is valued in the Philippines for its dense durable wood and was once used extensively in furniture, boats, utensils, and as construction material.[9] The wood is also known to resist decay and termites.[10] It became a protected species in the Philippines and it is illegal to cut its tree under certain conditions.[11] Before 2019, it was listed as critically endangered, threatened and vulnerable in the assessments recorded in the IUCN Red List.[12][13] As of 2017, the Philippine Department of Environment and Natural Resources classified it as endangered due to overharvesting and habitat loss.[14][15] Although in 2019, the species was reassessed and declared as least concern by IUCN.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 de Kok, R. (2020). "Vitex parviflora". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T33339A67741355. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-1.RLTS.T33339A67741355.en. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  2. "Molave". OneToTree. Retrieved 2021-12-03.
  3. USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Vitex parviflora". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
  4. "molave". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Retrieved 2022-09-23.
  5. Bulletin. Bureau of Public Printing. 1907.
  6. 1 2 Merrill, Elmer Drew (1903). A dictionary of the plant names of the Philippine Islands. Manila: Bureau of Public Printing, Department of The Interior. p. 191 via University of Michigan Digital Collections.
  7. Bareja, Ben G. "Two Strains of Molave Tree Distinguished". Cropsreview.com. Retrieved 14 August 2017.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "Vitex parviflora (molave)". www.cabi.org. Retrieved 2022-09-23.
  9. Lomosbog, Noel T.; Gamil, Noel S. (2015). "Characterization of Potential Molave (Vitex parviflora Juss.) Mother Trees in Lila, Bohol, Philippines". International Journal of Environmental and Rural Development. 6 (2): 11–16. doi:10.32115/ijerd.6.2_11.
  10. Alvina, Corazon S. (2020-04-12). "The Hardwoods of our Vanishing Forests". Herald Suites. Retrieved 2022-09-23.
  11. "PHILIPPINE ENVIRONMENT LAWS - CHAN ROBLES VIRTUAL LAW LIBRARY - FULL TEXT OF ACT NO. 3572". www.chanrobles.com. Retrieved 2022-09-23.
  12. "Threatened plants of the Philippines: a preliminary assessment" (PDF). National Red List. p. 28. Retrieved 2022-09-23.
  13. Berame, Julie; Bulay, Minie L.; Mercado, Rissa M. (2021-06-05). "Sustaining angiosperms' diversity of Bood Promontory and Eco-Park, Butuan City, Philippines: Step towards a community based-protection management program". Biodiversitas Journal of Biological Diversity. 22 (6). doi:10.13057/biodiv/d220662. ISSN 2085-4722. S2CID 236273177.
  14. "Molave". The Return of the Philippine Native Trees. Rain Forest Restoration Initiative. Retrieved 14 August 2017.
  15. Bareja, Ben G. "The Molave Trees are Amazing, What With Their Plenty of Conventional Uses and New Ones That Evolved". Cropsreview.com. Retrieved 14 August 2017.
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