Grewia tiliaefolia flowers & leaves in Hyderabad W2 IMG 9422

''Grewia'' is a large

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

in the mallow

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Malvaceae Malvaceae, or the mallows, is a family of flowering plants estimated to contain 244 genera with 4225 known species. Well-known members of economic importance include okra, cotton, cacao and durian. There are also some genera containing familiar ...

, in the expanded sense as proposed by the

Angiosperm Phylogeny Group The Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (APG) is an informal international group of systematic botanists who collaborate to establish a consensus on the taxonomy of flowering plants (angiosperms) that reflects new knowledge about plant relationships disc ...

. Formerly, Grewia was placed in either the family Tiliaceae or the

Sparrmanniaceae Sparrmanniaceae is a segregate, probably obsolete, plant family, containing plants which have more commonly been classified in Malvaceae or Tiliaceae. In the most recent proposed circumscription, that of Cheek ex Heywood et al., it corresponds t ...

. However, these were both not monophyletic with respect to other

Malvales The Malvales are an order of flowering plants. As circumscribed by APG II-system, the order includes about 6000 species within 9 families. The order is placed in the eurosids II, which are part of the eudicots. The plants are mostly shrubs and ...

- as already indicated by the uncertainties surrounding placement of ''Grewia'' and similar genera - and have thus been merged into the

. Together with the bulk of the former

, ''Grewia'' is in the subfamily

Grewioideae Grewioideae is a subfamily of the family Malvaceae and was first described by Hochreutiner. The group is named after its type genus, '' Grewia'', which is named for the English scientist Nehemiah Grew (1641-1712). It contains a number of gener ...

and therein the

tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in part due to confli ...

Grewieae, of which it is the

type genus In biological taxonomy, the type genus is the genus which defines a biological family and the root of the family name. Zoological nomenclature According to the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, "The name-bearing type of a nominal ...

. The genus was named by

Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his Nobility#Ennoblement, ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalise ...

, in honor of the botanist

Nehemiah Grew Nehemiah Grew (26 September 164125 March 1712) was an English plant anatomist and physiologist, known as the "Father of Plant Anatomy". Biography Grew was the only son of Obadiah Grew (1607–1688), Nonconformist divine and vicar of St Mic ...

(1641-1712) from England. Grew was one of the leading plant

anatomist Anatomy () is the branch of biology concerned with the study of the structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old science, having it ...

s and

microscope A microscope () is a laboratory instrument used to examine objects that are too small to be seen by the naked eye. Microscopy is the science of investigating small objects and structures using a microscope. Microscopic means being invisi ...

researchers of his time, and his study of pollen laid the groundwork for modern-day

palynology Palynology is the "study of dust" (from grc-gre, παλύνω, palynō, "strew, sprinkle" and ''-logy'') or of "particles that are strewn". A classic palynologist analyses particulate samples collected from the air, from water, or from deposit ...

Ecology and uses

Several Lepidoptera caterpillars are found to feed on ''Grewia'' species. These include the

common nawab ''Polyura athamas'', the common nawab, is a species of fast-flying canopy butterfly found in tropical Asia. It belongs to the Charaxinae (rajahs and nawabs) in the brush-footed butterfly family (Nymphalidae). It occurs in the Himalayas from Kas ...

(''Polyura athamas'') and the swift moth '' Endoclita malabaricus''. The Bucculatricidae leaf miner '' Bucculatrix epibathra'' is apparently only found on '' G. tiliaefolia''. The

parasitic wasp Parasitoid wasps are a large group of hymenopteran superfamilies, with all but the wood wasps (Orussoidea) being in the wasp-waisted Apocrita. As parasitoids, they lay their eggs on or in the bodies of other arthropods, sooner or later causi ...

'' Aprostocetus psyllidis'' of the

Eulophidae The Eulophidae are a large family of hymenopteran insects, with over 4,300 described species in some 300 genera. The family includes the genus '' Elasmus'', which used to be treated as a separate family, "Elasmidae", and is now treated as a s ...

occurs on and around phalsa (''G. asiatica''). Its larvae are parasitoids of other insects - possibly pests of the plant, but this is not known for sure. Several species, namely phalsa, are known for their edible fruit, which are of local commercial importance. The

astringent An astringent (sometimes called adstringent) is a chemical that shrinks or constricts body tissues. The word derives from the Latin ''adstringere'', which means "to bind fast". Calamine lotion, witch hazel, and yerba mansa, a Californian pla ...

and refreshing ''Grewia'' drupes are particularly popular in summertime.

Folk medicine Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous medicine or folk medicine) comprises medical aspects of traditional knowledge that developed over generations within the folk beliefs of various societies, including indigenous peoples, before the ...

makes use of some species, which are reputed to cure upset stomachs and some skin and intestinal infections, and seem to have mild antibiotic properties. '' G. mollis'' is reputed to contain

β-carboline β-Carboline (9''H''-Pyridine, pyrido ,4-''b''ndole) represents the basic chemical structure for more than one hundred alkaloids and synthetic compounds. The effects of these substances depend on their respective substituent. Natural β-carbo ...

alkaloid Alkaloids are a class of basic, naturally occurring organic compounds that contain at least one nitrogen atom. This group also includes some related compounds with neutral and even weakly acidic properties. Some synthetic compounds of similar ...

s, though whether such compounds occur in other species too and whether they are produced in quantities to render the plants psychoactive has not been thoroughly studied. In

Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

, the bark of the ''Grewia'' tree is mixed with the soapy '' kinpun'' (''Senegalia rugata'') fruit and sometimes

lime Lime commonly refers to: * Lime (fruit), a green citrus fruit * Lime (material), inorganic materials containing calcium, usually calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide * Lime (color), a color between yellow and green Lime may also refer to: Botany ...

to make the traditional shampoo '' tayaw kinpun'', which remains widely used by the Burmese people and commonly sold in the country's open-air markets, typically in plastic bags. Explorer Ludwig Leichhardt described preparing a refreshing drink from the seeds of native Australian species ''G. polygama''.

Selected species

* '' Grewia abutifolia'' (= ''G. sclerophylla'' Roxb. ex G. Don, ''Sterculia tiliacea'' Leveille) * ''

Grewia asiatica ''Grewia asiatica'', commonly known as phalsa or falsa,Flora of Indi''Grewia asiatica''/ref> is a species of flowering plant in the mallow family Malvaceae. It was first found in Varanasi, India, and was taken by Buddhist scholars to other Asian ...

'' – phalsa, falsa * '' Grewia avellana'' Hiern. (= ''G. calycina'' N.E.Br., ''G. hydrophila'' K.Schum., ''G. perennans'' K.Schum.) * '' Grewia bicolor'' Juss. (= ''G. disticha'' Dinter & Burret, ''G. grisea'', ''G. kwebensis'' N.E.Br., ''G. miniata'' Mast. ex Hiern., ''G. mossambicensis'') * '' Grewia biloba'' G.Don – Bilobed Grewia (= ''G. biloba'' var. ''glabrescens'' (Benth.) Rehder, ''G. glabrescens'' Benth., ''G. parviflora'' var. ''glabrescens'' (Benth.) Rehder & E.H.Wilson) ** ''Grewia biloba'' var. ''microphylla'' (Maxim) Hand.-Mazz. (= ''G. parviflora'' var. ''microphylla'' Maxim.) ** ''Grewia biloba'' var. ''parviflora'' (Bunge) Hand.-Mazz. (= ''G. chanetii'' H.Lév., ''G. parviflora'' Bunge, ''G. parviflora'' var. ''velutina'' Pampanini) * '' Grewia bilocularis'' Balf.f. * '' Grewia caffra''

Meisn. Carl Daniel Friedrich Meissner (1 November 1800 – 2 May 1874) was a Swiss botanist. Biography Born in Bern, Switzerland on 1 November 1800, he was christened Meisner but later changed the spelling of his name to Meissner. For most of his 40 ...

(= ''G. fruticetorum'' J.R.Drummond ex Baker f.) * '' Grewia calymmatosepala'' K.Schum. * '' Grewia celtidifolia'' Juss. (= ''G. asiatica'' var. ''celtidifolia'' (Jussieu) L.F.Gagnepain, ''G. simaoensis'' Y.Y.Qian, ''G. yunnanensis'' H.T.Chang) * '' Grewia ciclea'' ''andilambarika'' ( Malagasy) * '' Grewia crenata'' (J.R.Forst.) Schinz & Guillaumin (= ''G. malococca, G. persicaefolia, G. prunifolia, Mallococca crenata'') – ''au‘ere'' (

Cook Islands ) , image_map = Cook Islands on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , capital = Avarua , coordinates = , largest_city = Avarua , official_languages = , lan ...

), ''fau ui'' (

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands ( Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands ( Manono and Apolima); ...

), ''fo ui'' (

Tonga Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...

) * ''Grewia damine'' Gaertn. (= ''G. tiliifolia'' Vahl) * '' Grewia eriocarpa'' Juss. (= ''G. boehmeriifolia'' Kanehira & Sasaki, ''G. elastica'' Royle, ''G. lantsangensis'' Hu) * '' Grewia flava'' DC. (= ''G. cana'' Sond., ''G. hermannioides'' Harv.) * '' Grewia flavescens'' Juss. (= ''G. flavescens'' var. ''longipedunculata'' Burret) * '' Grewia glabra'' Blume – sometimes included in ''G. multiflora'' * '' Grewia glandulosa'' Vahl (= ''G. salicifolia'' Schinz) * '' Grewia goetzeana'' K.Schum. * '' Grewia hexamita'' Burret (= ''G. messinica'' Burtt Davy & Greenway, ''G. schweickerdtii'' Burret) * '' Grewia hirsuta'' Vahl. * '' Grewia hornbyi'' Wild * '' Grewia inaequilatera'' Garcke * '' Grewia insularis'' Ridl. (

Christmas Island Christmas Island, officially the Territory of Christmas Island, is an Australian external territory comprising the island of the same name. It is located in the Indian Ocean, around south of Java and Sumatra and around north-west of the ...

) * '' Grewia lasiocarpa'' E.Mey. ex Harv. * '' Grewia latifolia'' F.Muell. ex Benth. * '' Grewia limae'' Wild * '' Grewia microthyrsa'' K.Schum. ex Burret * '' Grewia mollis'' Juss. * '' Grewia monticola'' Sond. (= ''G. cordata'' N.E.Br., ''G. discolor'', N.E.Br.) * '' Grewia multiflora'' Juss. (= ''G. didyma'' Roxb. ex G.Don, ''G. disperma'' Rottler, ''G. guazumifolia'' Juss., ''G. jinghongensis'' Y.Y.Qian, ''G. oblongifolia'' Blume, ''G. serrulata'' DC.) * ''

Grewia occidentalis ''Grewia occidentalis'', the crossberry, is a small, hardy, attractive tree indigenous to Southern Africa. Description A small, scrambling, deciduous tree reaching a height of about 3 m, its purple, star-shaped flowers appear in summer, ...

'' L. – Crossberry * '' Grewia olukondae'' Schinz. (= ''G. flavescens'' var. ''olukondae'' (Schinz) Wild) * '' Grewia optiva'' J.R.Drumm. ex Burret (= ''G. oppositifolia'' Buch.-Ham. ex D.Don) * '' Grewia orientalis'' Carl Linnaeus * '' Grewia oxyphylla'' Burret * '' Grewia pachycalyx'' K.Schum. * '' Grewia picta'' (= ''G. aldabrensis'' Baker * '' Grewia retinervis'' Burret (= ''G. deserticola'' Ulbr.) * '' Grewia retusifolia'' Kurz * '' Grewia robusta'' Burch * '' Grewia rothii'' DC * '' Grewia savannicola'' ("Dogs balls")R.L.Barrett * '' Grewia schinzii'' K.Schum. (= ''G. velutinissima'' Dunkley) * '' Grewia similis'' K.Schum. * '' Grewia stolzii'' Ulbr. * '' Grewia sulcata'' Mast. * '' Grewis tembensis'' Fresen. * '' Grewia tenax'' (Forssk.) (= ''Chadara tenax'' Forssk., ''G. populifolia'' Vahl) * '' Grewia tiliifolia'' Vahl (= ''G. rotunda'' C.Y.Wu, ''G. tiliaefolia'' (''

lapsus In philology, a lapsus (Latin for "lapse, slip, error") is an involuntary mistake made while writing or speaking. Investigations In 1895 an investigation into verbal slips was undertaken by a philologist and a psychologist, Rudolf Meringer and ...

''), ''Tilia rotunda'' C.Y.Wu & H.T.Chang) * '' Grewia transzambesica'' Wild * '' Grewia turbinata'' Balf.f. * '' Grewia villosa'' Willd.

Formerly placed here

Some species once placed in ''Grewia'' (or genera synonymous with it) have since been moved elsewhere, particularly to '' Microcos'': * '' Alangium salviifolium'' (as ''G. salviifolia'' L.f.) * '' Dombeya boehmiana'' (as ''Vincentia boehmiana'' (F.Hoffm.) Burret)Hinsley (2008b) * '' Kleinhovia hospita'' (as ''G. meyeniana'') * ''

Microcos chungii ''Microcos'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Malvaceae ''sensu lato'' or Tiliaceae or Sparrmanniaceae. Species ''Plants of the World Online'' lists: * '' Microcos africana'' (Hook.f.) Burret * '' Microcos antidesmifolia'' (King) Bu ...

'' (as ''G. chungii'' Merr. * '' Microcos nervosa'' – possibly belongs in ''M. paniculata'' (as ''G. nervosa'' (Lour.) Panigrahi) * ''

Microcos paniculata ''Microcos paniculata'' is a flowering shrub native to China and south-east Asia including India. It's also included in Indian Ayurveda. It is sometimes added to Chinese herbal tea, having a mildly sour taste. In traditional Chinese medicine t ...

'' (as ''G. microcos'' L. and possibly ''G. nervosa'' (Lour.) Panigrahi) * '' Microcos triflora'' (as ''G. stylocarpa'' Warb. and ''G. stylocarpa'' var. ''longipetiolata'' Merr.) * '' Trichospermum mexicanum'' (as ''G. mexicana'' DC.)

Footnotes

References

* (2001)
Angiosperm Families Containing Beta-Carbolines
Version of 2001-OCT-04. Retrieved 2008-JUN-25. * (2007): ''Flowering Plant Families of the World''. Firefly Books, Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada. * (2008a)
Partial Synonymy of ''Grewia''
Retrieved 2008-JUN-25. * (2008b)
Partial Synonymy of ''Dombeya''
Retrieved 2008-JUN-25. * (2007a): Germplasm Resources Information Network
''Grewia''
Retrieved 2008-JUN-25. * (2007b)
USDA Plants Profile: ''Grewia''
Retrieved 2008-JUN-25. {{Taxonbar, from=Q80212 Malvaceae genera Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus