Arabian Lilac(Vitex, Purple)

Vitex trifolia 'Purpurea' (Arabian Lilac) A very fast growing evergreen to semi-evergreen shrub or small tree to 10 to 15 feet tall by as wide with distinctively colored leaves sometimes but not always divided into three elliptical leaflets that are a gray-green on the upper surface but upturned to display the showy velvety purple below. The leaves give off a peppery scent when crushed and drop as they age as fresh new ones emerge. This plant can go deciduous after a cold frost but leafs back out rapidly.