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 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]
^USDA, NRCS (n.d.).
"Vitex parviflora". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 6 August 2015.