MALVACEAE
Grewia flava
Velvet Raisin
Trees & Shrubs© Joël Roerig (2015) • SCS
© Joël Roerig (2015) • SCS
© Joël Roerig (2015) • SCS
© Joël Roerig (2015) • SCS
Local Context
Uncommon in the Lowveld so a good find for Raptor's View, according to botanist Warren McLeland. Compared to other Grewias, it has quite small leaves and an overall grey appearance.Identification
- Growth: Compact shrub (usually about 2 m tall); young branches are greyish or greyish-brown and velvety, while older branches turn dark purplish-black.
- Flowers: Yellow and appear in the leaf axils (where the leaf joins the stem); the flower buds are oval-shaped and the petals are slightly shorter than the sepals.
- Leaves: Elliptic to narrow and slightly wider near the tip (1.4–7 cm long), with symmetrical bases, rounded tips, and finely toothed edges; the veins form a prominent, raised network on the underside.
- Texture: Young branches and leaves are densely covered in fine, velvety hairs, giving the plant a soft, greyish-green appearance.
- Fruit: Small, round or slightly two-lobed berry (about 8 mm wide) that is initially slightly hairy but becomes smoother and turns reddish when ripe.
Did You Know?
The plant is also known as Brandybush, a name earned from the traditional fermentation of its vitamin C-rich berries into intoxicating spirits like mampoer, though the fruits are equally valued as a survival food eaten raw, dried, or ground into porridge flour. Beyond its fruit, the plant’s hard, fine-grained wood was historically essential to San culture for crafting bows and arrows.