higuerillo
Vitex divaricata · Verbenaceae
higuerillo (Vitex divaricata) is a perennial tree in the Verbenaceae family. It is native to North America. USDA records it as hardy in zone 11 and warmer, down to about 40°F.
At a glance
| Type | tree Derived |
|---|---|
| Lifecycle | perennial USDA |
| Native status | native USDA |
| Mature height | 45 ft USDA |
| Light | full-sun USDA |
| Growth rate | slow USDA |
| Soil pH | 4.5–7 USDA |
| Bloom | March–May USDA |
| Flower color | Blue USDA |
| Hardiness zones | 11 and warmer USDA |
| Guild layer | canopy Derived |
USDA quoted from the USDA PLANTS database · Derived computed by a fixed rule from those columns. No value on this page is estimated.
Growing conditions
It needs full sun. Its drought tolerance is rated medium. It handles periodically wet ground (USDA rates its anaerobic tolerance medium). It is recorded on soils from pH 4.5 to 7 — a broad range that spans acidic through mildly alkaline ground. Its cold limit is zone 11.
Size and growth
At maturity it reaches about 45 ft, making it a substantial woody plant. It grows slowly.
Bloom period
USDA records a bloom period of March through May. Flowers are blue.
A flowering date, not a pollinator rating.
Foliage, flower and season
Summer foliage is green, medium in texture. Its flowers are not conspicuous — a plant for form and foliage. Its active growth period is spring. USDA rates its lifespan as short, so plan on replacing or resowing it rather than treating it as permanent structure.
What the site needs to provide
USDA records it across sites receiving 43 to 120 inches of annual precipitation. It needs at least 365 frost-free days to finish its season. It roots to at least 12 inches. Fertility requirement: medium.
Propagating it
Propagate it from seed and cuttings. USDA records no cold-stratification requirement, so seed should germinate without a chilling period.
Resilience and wildlife
Browsing animals rate it barely palatable — the sourced basis for calling it deer-resistant.
Role in a guild
Canopy. In a layered planting this is the tallest layer of a planting — it sets the light budget everything beneath it lives on. The layer is derived by a fixed rule from growth habit and mature height.
Tags
Related plants
Others in Vitex
- varigated chastetree Vitex trifolia
Similar role and hardiness
- Alexandrian laurel Calophyllum inophyllum
- stinkingtoe Hymenaea courbaril
- mammee apple Mammea americana
- Sierran palm Prestoea acuminata
- Puerto Rico royal palm Roystonea borinquena
Where this data comes from
Every value on this page comes from the USDA PLANTS database record for symbol VIDI2, or is computed from those values by a fixed rule. Nothing here is estimated or model-generated. Where USDA publishes no value, this page omits the claim rather than filling the gap.
- Quoted from USDA PLANTS: active growth period, Bloom, Bloom end, browse palatability, cold stratification, Drought tolerance, fall conspicuous, fertility requirement, Flower color, flower conspicuous, foliage color, foliage porosity winter, foliage texture, frost free days min, fruit conspicuous, Growth rate, Hardiness zones, Lifecycle, lifespan, Light, Mature height, Minimum temperature, Native status, Nitrogen fixation, precipitation max in, precipitation min in, propagation, resprout ability, root depth in, Soil pH, Soil pH (upper), Tolerance of wet soil.
- Derived by a fixed rule from those columns: Guild layer, Type.
Read our full data sources and methodology.
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