Grewia: A Deep Dive with Ferb Vu
Grewia. The name itself has a certain ring to it, doesn’t it? It evokes images of exotic locales, lush greenery, and perhaps a touch of mystery. And rightly so, because the genus Grewia is a fascinating group of plants with a rich history and a wide range of uses. As an enthusiast of the natural world, I, Ferb Vu, am excited to share my knowledge and passion for these incredible plants with you.
What is Grewia?
Grewia is a large genus of flowering plants belonging to the mallow family, Malvaceae. It encompasses a diverse array of species, ranging from shrubs to small trees. These plants are primarily found in tropical and subtropical regions of the Old World, including Africa, Asia, and Australia. They are known for their attractive flowers, often yellow or white, and their distinctive fruits, which are typically fleshy and can vary in color from red to purple to black.
A World of Grewia: Exploring the Species
One of the things that makes Grewia so captivating is its sheer diversity. With hundreds of species spread across the globe, there’s always something new to discover. Here are:
- Grewia abutilifolia Vent. ex Juss.
- Grewia acuminata Juss.
- Grewia afra Meisn.
- Grewia ambongoensis Baill.
- Grewia amicorum Steud.
- Grewia amplifolia Baill.
- Grewia analamerensis Capuron
- Grewia andramparo R.Vig.
- Grewia angolensis Welw. ex Mast.
- Grewia angustisepala Hung T.Chang
- Grewia annamica Gagnep.
- Grewia antsiranensis Capuron
- Grewia apetala Juss.
- Grewia arborea (Forssk.) Lam.
- Grewia argentea Exell & Mendonça
- Grewia asiatica L.
- Grewia astropetala Pierre
- Grewia atrobrunnea Burret
- Grewia australis Burret
- Grewia avellana Hiern
- Grewia baillonii R.Vig.
- Grewia bakeriana Baill.
- Grewia balensis Kirkup & Sebsebe
- Grewia baronii R.Vig.
- Grewia barteri Burret
- Grewia bicolor Juss.
- Grewia bilamellata Gagnep.
- Grewia biloba G.Don
- Grewia bilocularis Balf.f.
- Grewia boehmiana F.Hoffm.
- Grewia boivinii Baill.
- Grewia bojeri Mabb.
- Grewia botryantha Baill.
- Grewia brachypoda C.Y.Wu
- Grewia bracteata B.Heyne ex Roth
- Grewia brassii Burret
- Grewia breviflora Benth.
- Grewia brideliifolia Baill.
- Grewia brunnea K.Schum.
- Grewia bulot Gagnep.
- Grewia burttii Exell
- Grewia calvata Baker
- Grewia capitellata Bojer
- Grewia capuronii Mabb.
- Grewia carpinifolia Juss.
- Grewia carrissoi Exell & Mendonça
- Grewia celtidifolia Juss.
- Grewia cerocarpa Exell & Mendonça
- Grewia chalybaea Baill.
- Grewia chuniana Burret
- Grewia cissoides Hutch. & Dalziel
- Grewia cloiselii R.Vig.
- Grewia comorensis Bojer
- Grewia concolor Merr.
- Grewia conferta Warb. ex Burret
- Grewia cuneifolia Juss.
- Grewia cuspidatoserrata Burret
- Grewia cyclea Baill.
- Grewia cyclopetala Wawra & Peyr.
- Grewia cylindrica (Pierre) Burret
- Grewia decemovulata Merxm.
- Grewia densa K.Schum.
- Grewia diversipes Capuron
- Grewia douliotii R.Vig.
- Grewia eberhardtii Lecomte
- Grewia elyseoi Cavaco & Simoes
- Grewia emarginata Wight & Arn.
- Grewia eriocarpa Juss.
- Grewia erythraea Schweinf.
- Grewia erythroxyloides Capuron
- Grewia falcata C.Y.Wu
- Grewia falcistipula K.Schum.
- Grewia ferruginea Hochst. ex A.Rich.
- Grewia filipes Burret
- Grewia flava DC.
- Grewia flavescens Juss.
- Grewia flavicans Boivin ex Baill.
- Grewia forbesii Harv. ex Mast.
- Grewia gamblei J.R.Drumm.
- Grewia gautieri Wahlert & Nusb.
- Grewia geayi R.Vig.
- Grewia gillettii Sebsebe & B.Mathew
- Grewia glandulosa Vahl
- Grewia glyphaeoides Baill.
- Grewia goetzeana K.Schum.
- Grewia gracillima Wild
- Grewia grandidieri Baill.
- Grewia grandiflora Baker
- Grewia graniticola Halford
- Grewia grevei Baill.
- Grewia guazumifolia Juss.
- Grewia helicterifolia Wall. ex G.Don
- Grewia henryi Burret
- Grewia herbacea Hiern
- Grewia hexamita Burret
- Grewia hierniana Exell & Mendonça
- Grewia hirsuta Vahl
- Grewia hispida Harv.
- Grewia hispidissima Wahlert, Phillipson & Mabb.
- Grewia holstii Burret
- Grewia holtzii Burret
- Grewia hornbyi Wild
- Grewia huluperakensis I.M.Turner
- Grewia humbertii Capuron
- Grewia humblotii Baill.
- Grewia humilis Wall. ex G.Don
- Grewia hypotephra Pierre
- Grewia inaequilatera Garcke
- Grewia indandamanica J.L.Ellis & L.N.Ray
- Grewia insularis Ridl.
- Grewia isochroa Burret
- Grewia kakothamnos K.Schum.
- Grewia kjellbergii Burret
- Grewia kothayarensis Murugan & Manickam
- Grewia kwangtungensis Hung T.Chang
- Grewia lacei J.R.Drumm. & Craib
- Grewia laevigata Vahl
- Grewia lakshminarasimhanii Arum., Murugan, Arisdason & R.Manik.
- Grewia lanceifolia Roxb.
- Grewia langsonensis Gagnep.
- Grewia lapiazicola Capuron
- Grewia lasiocarpa E.Mey. ex Harv.
- Grewia lasioclada Welw. ex Hiern
- Grewia lasiodiscus K.Schum.
- Grewia latifolia F.Muell. ex Benth.
- Grewia latiglandulosa Z.Y.Huang & S.Y.Liu
- Grewia lavanalensis Baill.
- Grewia lepidopetala Garcke
- Grewia leptopus Ulbr.
- Grewia leucophylla Capuron
- Grewia lilacina K.Schum.
- Grewia limae Wild
- Grewia lutea Exell
- Grewia luteiflora Capuron
- Grewia mabberleyana Phillipson, Wahlert & Lowry
- Grewia macropetala Burret
- Grewia macrophylla G.Don
- Grewia madagascariensis Capuron
- Grewia manomboensis G.E.Schatz, Randrian. & Lowry
- Grewia maroana Aug.DC.
- Grewia megalocarpa Juss.
- Grewia meizophylla Burret
- Grewia meridionalis Capuron
- Grewia mesomischa Burret
- Grewia micrantha Bojer
- Grewia microcarpa K.Schum.
- Grewia microcyclea (Burret) Capuron & Mabb.
- Grewia microstemma Wall. ex Kurz
- Grewia mollis Juss.
- Grewia monantha Capuron ex Mabb.
- Grewia monticola Sond.
- Grewia morotaiensis Kosterm.
- Grewia multiflora Juss.
- Grewia myriantha Exell & Mendonça
- Grewia nagensium Prain
- Grewia nematopus K.Schum.
- Grewia newtonii Burret
- Grewia nitida Juss.
- Grewia occidentalis L.
- Grewia ogadenensis Sebsebe
- Grewia oligandra Pierre
- Grewia oncopetala K.Schum.
- Grewia optiva J.R.Drumm. ex Burret
- Grewia orbiculata Rottler
- Grewia orbifolia F.Muell. ex Benth.
- Grewia orientalis L.
- Grewia oxyphylla Burret
- Grewia pachycalyx K.Schum.
- Grewia palawanensis Merr.
- Grewia palodensis E.S.S.Kumar, A.E.S.Khan, Binu & S.M.Almeida
- Grewia pamanziana R.Vig.
- Grewia pandaica J.R.Drumm.
- Grewia pannosisepala Chiov.
- Grewia papuana Burret
- Grewia pedunculata K.Schum.
- Grewia peekelii Burret
- Grewia penicillata Chiov.
- Grewia penninervis Boivin ex Baill.
- Grewia permagna C.Y.Wu ex Hung T.Chang
- Grewia perrieri Capuron
- Grewia pervillei Baill.
- Grewia picta Baill.
- Grewia pindanica R.L.Barrett
- Grewia piscatorum Hance
- Grewia plagiophylla K.Schum.
- Grewia polygama Roxb.
- Grewia pondoensis Burret
- Grewia populoides Burret
- Grewia praecox K.Schum.
- Grewia prunifolia A.Gray
- Grewia pubescens P.Beauv.
- Grewia pulverulenta R.Vig.
- Grewia puttkameri Warb.
- Grewia rabehevitrae Randrian., Lowry & G.E.Schatz
- Grewia radula Baker
- Grewia retinervis Burret
- Grewia retusifolia Kurz
- Grewia rhamnifolia Roth
- Grewia rhombifolia Kaneh. & Sasaki
- Grewia rhomboides Bojer
- Grewia ribesioides Capuron & Mabb.
- Grewia rizalensis Merr.
- Grewia robusta Burch.
- Grewia rogersii Burtt Davy & Greenway
- Grewia rolfei Merr.
- Grewia rothii DC.
- Grewia rubescens Burret
- Grewia rufostellata Randrian., Lowry & G.E.Schatz
- Grewia rugosifolia De Wild.
- Grewia rupestris Schinz
- Grewia sahafariensis Capuron & Mabb.
- Grewia saligna Baill.
- Grewia salutaris Span.
- Grewia sambiranensis Capuron
- Grewia sapida Roxb. ex DC.
- Grewia savannicola R.L.Barrett
- Grewia scabrella Benth.
- Grewia scabrifolia Chantar.
- Grewia schinzii K.Schum.
- Grewia schweinfurthii Burret
- Grewia sclerophylla Roxb. ex G.Don
- Grewia sely R.Vig.
- Grewia serrata Blanco
- Grewia serratula Baill.
- Grewia serrulata DC.
- Grewia sessilifolia Gagnep.
- Grewia setacea Merr.
- Grewia setaceoides Burret
- Grewia similiopsis C.Whitehouse
- Grewia similis K.Schum.
- Grewia speciosa Burret
- Grewia stenophylla Bojer
- Grewia stolzii Ulbr.
- Grewia stuhlmannii K.Schum.
- Grewia suarezensis Capuron
- Grewia subaequalis Baill.
- Grewia subspathulata N.E.Br.
- Grewia suffruticosa K.Schum.
- Grewia sulcata Mast.
- Grewia tahitensis Nadeaud
- Grewia tannifera Hochr.
- Grewia tembensis Fresen.
- Grewia tenax (Forssk.) Fiori
- Grewia tephrodermis K.Schum.
- Grewia thailandica Chantar. & Nualngam
- Grewia thikaensis C.Whitehouse
- Grewia thouvenotii Danguy
- Grewia tiliifolia Vahl
- Grewia tomentosa Juss.
- Grewia transzambesica Wild
- Grewia trichocarpa Hochst. ex A.Rich.
- Grewia triflora (Bojer) Walp.
- Grewia trinervata Baker
- Grewia trinervia De Wild.
- Grewia tristis K.Schum.
- Grewia truncata Mast.
- Grewia tsiandrensis Capuron
- Grewia tulearensis Capuron
- Grewia turbinata Balf.f.
- Grewia umbellifera Bedd.
- Grewia urenifolia (Pierre) Gagnep.
- Grewia velutina (Forssk.) Lam.
- Grewia vernicosa Schinz
- Grewia viguieri Capuron
- Grewia villosa Willd.
- Grewia viridiflora Teijsm. & Binn.
- Grewia vitiensis Turrill
- Grewia voloina Capuron
- Grewia welwitschii Burret
- Grewia winitii Craib
- Grewia woodiana K.Schum.
- Grewia xanthopetala F.Muell. ex Benth.
- Grewia yinkiangensis Y.C.Hsu & R.Zhuge
- Grewia zizyphifolia Baill.
The Many Faces of Grewia: Uses and Benefits
Grewia plants have been utilized by humans for centuries for a multitude of purposes. Their versatility is truly remarkable.
- Food: The fruits of many Grewia species are edible and are consumed fresh, dried, or processed into jams, jellies, and beverages. In some cultures, the leaves are also eaten as a vegetable.
- Medicine: Various parts of Grewia plants, including the leaves, bark, and roots, have been used in traditional medicine to treat a range of ailments, such as fever, diarrhea, and skin infections.
- Fiber: The bark of some Grewia species yields a strong fiber that can be used to make rope, cordage, and even paper.
- Fuel: The wood of certain Grewia species is used as fuel for cooking and heating.
- Environmental Benefits: Grewia plants play an important role in their ecosystems. They provide food and shelter for a variety of animals, and their roots help to stabilize the soil, preventing erosion.
Grewia and Me: A Personal Connection
My interest in Grewia stems from a deep appreciation for the interconnectedness of nature and the ingenuity of human cultures in utilizing the resources around them. I’m fascinated by the way these plants have been woven into the fabric of different societies, providing sustenance, healing, and practical materials.
I believe that learning about plants like Grewia can help us to better understand the delicate balance of our planet and the importance of preserving biodiversity. It also reminds us of the incredible resourcefulness of our ancestors and the potential for sustainable living.
Looking Ahead: The Future of Grewia
As we face the challenges of a changing climate and increasing pressure on natural resources, plants like Grewia may hold valuable solutions. Their resilience, adaptability, and multiple uses make them promising candidates for sustainable agriculture and forestry.
Further research into the properties and potential applications of Grewia species could lead to new discoveries in medicine, materials science, and environmental conservation. I am excited to see what the future holds for these remarkable plants and the role they may play in creating a more sustainable and harmonious world.