Vitex rotundifolia is a member of the family Lamiaceae [7] and subfamily Viticoideae.[8] The plant was originally described by the son of Carolus Linnaeus, Carl Linnaeus the Younger[7] The original description was published in Supplementum Plantarum in 1782.[7] The generic epithet, Vitex, is derived from the Latin viere, meaning “to bind or twist” in reference to the rope-like stems produced by some species in the genus.[2] The specific epithet, rotundifolia, is derived from the Latin rotundus, which means "round, spherical", and folium, meaning "leaf.” This is a reference to the rounded character of the leaves.