Chocolate Berry (Vitex payos)

Family: Lamiaceae | Edibility: Choice Edible (4/5)

Chocolate Berry, Vitex payos, is a shrub or small tree with a rounded crown and grows up to 10 m in height. It is commonly grown in tropical Africa. The chocolate brown or black fruits are sweet and edible. It can be eaten raw or cooked, or made into jams. Medicinally, the plant is used for stomach ailments, threadworm, skin problems, and loss of appetite. Fallen leaves are used as a mulch. The wood is very hard and suitable as poles and spoons.

Edible Parts & Harvest Seasons

Edible Parts: Fruit, Berries

Harvest Seasons: Early Summer, Fall, Late Summer

Flavor & Culinary Uses

Sweet, with a mealy texture. — Fruit - raw or cooked.; Sweet, with a mealy texture.; It can be made into jam.; Each fruit is about 2 cm long, with pointed tips and a chocolate brown or black skin.

Habitat & North American Range

Open woodland, wooded grassland and on rocky outcrops at elevations from 50 - 1,500 metres. (Zone 10)