Beautiful little tree or large shrub has compound leaves with 5 to 7 finger-like leaflets. These are usually grey-green above and greyish and somewhat fuzzy below, aromatic, and bear a striking resemblance to the hemp, or cannabis plant. Plant grows 10'-20' and blooms on new wood in summer with a great flush that makes the tree look like a purple cloud, then blooms are sporadic until early fall. Following flowers, a fleshy but inconspicuous fruit forms that contains four seeds. These are sometimes used as seasoning, like pepper.
Mature trees develop a blocky grey bark, and are deciduous in cold weather.
Location Native to southern Europe and western Asia. Culture Easy to grow in fertile, well drained soil. Even tolerant of salt drift. The chaste tree can take care of itself admirably, but can be pushed along with fertilizer and mulching around the plant. If pruning is desired to control the size, it should be done in winter, since blooms form on new wood.