Vitex parviflora explained

Vitex parviflora[1] is a species of plant in the family Lamiaceae, also known as smallflower chastetree or the molave tree. The name "molave" is from Spanish, derived from mulawin,[2] the Tagalog word for the tree.[3] It is also known as tugas in Visayan languages.[4] [5] 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.[6] It can also be found in Central and South America, the Caribbean, Oceania, and Asia. 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. In Cuba, it is also considered as a possibly invasive species due to naturalization.

It is valued in the Philippines for its dense durable wood and was once used extensively in furniture, boats, utensils, and as construction material.[7] The wood is also known to resist decay and termites.[8] It became a protected species in the Philippines and it is illegal to cut its tree under certain conditions.[9] Before 2019, it was listed as critically endangered, threatened and vulnerable in the assessments recorded in the IUCN Red List.[10] [11] As of 2017, the Philippine Department of Environment and Natural Resources classified it as endangered due to overharvesting and habitat loss.[12] [13] Although in 2019, the species was reassessed and declared as least concern by IUCN.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Molave. 2021-12-03. OneToTree. en.
  2. 2022-09-23.
  3. Book: Bulletin . 1907 . Bureau of Public Printing . en.
  4. Web site: Bareja. Ben G.. Two Strains of Molave Tree Distinguished. Cropsreview.com. 14 August 2017.
  5. Book: Elmer Drew Merrill

    . A dictionary of the plant names of the Philippine Islands . University of Michigan Digital Collections . Elmer Drew . Merrill . Elmer Drew Merrill . 191 . . Manila . 1903 .

  6. Web site: Vitex parviflora (molave) . 2022-09-23 . www.cabi.org . en.
  7. 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 . 10.32115/ijerd.6.2_11.
  8. Web site: Alvina . Corazon S. . 2020-04-12 . The Hardwoods of our Vanishing Forests . 2022-09-23 . Herald Suites . en-US.
  9. Web site: PHILIPPINE ENVIRONMENT LAWS - CHAN ROBLES VIRTUAL LAW LIBRARY - FULL TEXT OF ACT NO. 3572 . 2022-09-23 . www.chanrobles.com.
  10. Web site: Threatened plants of the Philippines: a preliminary assessment . 2022-09-23 . National Red List . 28.
  11. 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 . en . 22 . 6 . 10.13057/biodiv/d220662 . 236273177 . 2085-4722. free .
  12. Web site: Molave . 14 August 2017 . The Return of the Philippine Native Trees . Rain Forest Restoration Initiative.
  13. Web site: Bareja . Ben G. . The Molave Trees are Amazing, What With Their Plenty of Conventional Uses and New Ones That Evolved . 14 August 2017 . Cropsreview.com.