Myriad Botanical Gardens - Oklahoma City, USA

Common name: Chastetree, Abraham's Balm, Chasteberry, Monk's Pepper

Family: Lamiaceae (Mint Family)

Distribution: Asia

Life form: Deciduous shrub/sub-shrub

Comments: The chastetree can quickly grow to over 20 feet high and wide in the heat of Oklahoma. An abundance of lilac flowers grace the plant in midsummer, followed by attractive gray seed heads. It flowers on the current year's growth, so it can be easily pruned to a manageable size without sacrificing blooms. The cultivar 'Shoal Creek' has vigorous growth and larger, more intense blue-purple flowers than other varieties.