Botanical name |
Grewia occidentalis |
Other names |
Cross-berry; kruisbessie (Afrikaans); Grewia chirindae |
Family |
Tiliaceae |
Dimensions |
Usually a shrub, occasionally a small tree of 5 m; in densely wooded areas sometimes a climber |
Description of stem |
Smooth, light grey |
Description of leaves |
Ovate, three-veined from the base; light-green; sometimes hairy; margins toothed; petiole more than 1 cm |
Description of flowers |
Flowers pink or mauve with lighter and darker variations both common; the petals and upper surface of the sepals similarly coloured with the sepals dominating in size in the flower; flowering late spring or summer |
Description of seed/fruit |
Characteristically fourlobed seed arranged in a square of the four globose seeds with two straight lines running between the adjacent pairs that form the cross reflected in the common name; the ripening seeds take on different colours ranging from orange, reddish brown to purple |
Description of roots |
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Variation |
Different subspecies and forms are associated with different regions in this plant's distribution area |
Propagation and cultivation |
Grows from seed |
Tolerances |
Hardy |
Uses |
The bark is used to dress wounds; decoctions are made to treat barrenness, assist in childbirth and impotence; the wood has been used in the making of traditional weapons; attractive garden shrub |
Ecological rarity |
Common, widespread and not threatened |
Pests and diseases |
A form of scale is sometimes found on this plant |
Other |
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Location |
Forests, wooded areas and bushveld; also in the Karoo and some varied Western Cape inland habitats |
Distribution (SA provinces) |
Western Cape; Eastern Cape; Kwazulu-Natal; Free State; Gauteng; North West; Limpopo; Mpumalanga |
Country |
South Africa; Lesotho; Swaziland; Mozambique; Zimbabwe |