Grewia hexamita Burret

Giant donkeyberry (en)

Species

Angiosperms > Malvales > Malvaceae > Grewia

Characteristics

Shrub from 2-5 m tall; young branches ferruginously woolly, older branches with reddish brown bark and pale lenticels. Leaf-blade 30-100 x 25-60 mm, elliptic to oblong-elliptic, rounded or acute at the apex, asymmetrically cordate at the base, margin serrate, somewhat revolute, glabrous and somewhat rugose above, rather shining, nerves impressed, very densely pale yellowish tomentose below, nerves sometimes less hairy and brownish; petiole 2-3 mm long, or rarely up to 6 mm, woolly tomentose at first. Inflorescences all axillary on tomentose peduncles 5-10 mm long; pedicels 2-3 together, tomentose, about 5 mm long; bracts up to 5 mm long, ovate to lanceolate, glabrous inside, pubescent outside. Buds oblong-ovoid. Sepals 18-26 mm long, linear-oblong, golden brown tomentose on the back, glabrous and yellow within. Petals with a suborbicular blade up to 7 mm in diam. with a basal nectariferous claw up to 2 mm tall, shortly ledged above, circumvillous on the inner margin and pilose at the back. Androgynophore with a very stout, glabrous lower portion up to 2 mm tall, produced into a pilose upper portion up to 2 mm tall. Ovary 2-lobed by abortion, silky villous; style up to 10 mm long, glabrous; stigma-lobes about 4, rounded and dilated. Fruit deeply divided into two globose lobes, or 1-lobed, each lobe up to 20 mm in diam., pilose, reddish, shining.
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Tree to 6 m tall; young shoots densely ferruginous pubescent.. Leaves oblong to obovate, 5.5–15.5 cm long, 4–10 cm wide, truncate, rounded to shortly acuminate at the apex, obliquely asymmetric at the base, ± glabrous and glossy green above, whitish tomentellous beneath; petiole 4–8 mm long.. Inflorescence a 1–3-flowered cyme, 1–2 in a leaf-axil, covered with a dense ferruginous pubescence; peduncle 5–24 mm long; pedicels 9–24 mm long.. Flowers yellow; sepals 17–24 mm long; petals 7–9 mm long, broadly ovate to ± subcircular.. Androgynophore glabrous for ± 3 mm at the base, densely pubescent and produced up to 2 mm above the node.. Stamens 11–16 mm long.. Ovary ± 3 mm long, densely hairy; style 9–10 mm long.. Fruit 2-lobed, or unlobed by abortion, the lobes 15–18 mm long, 13–16 mm wide, shortly stellate-pubescent becoming glabrescent, maturing reddish.. Fig. 4/50 (leaf, p. 11).
A shrub. It grows up to 5 m tall. It has branches from near the base which spread out widely. The young branches are covered with red hairs. The leaves are oval and the edges have teeth. They are shiny green above and whitish grey underneath. Leaves are 2.5-13 cm long and 9 cm across. The base of the leaf is lopsided. The flowers are yellow. They are honey scented. They are 2.5 cm across. The fruit have 2 lobes and are hairy and shiny. They are about 2 cm across. They are red. The fruit are edible.
Leaf-lamina 3–10 × 2·5–6 cm., elliptic to oblong-elliptic, rounded or acute at the apex, margin serrate and somewhat revolute, asymmetrically cordate at the base, glabrous and somewhat rugose above, rather shining; nerves impressed and very densely pale yellowish-tomentose below but sometimes less hairy and brownish; petiole 2–3 mm. long, or rarely up to 6 mm.
Inflorescences all axillary, on tomentose peduncles 5–10 mm. long; pedicels c. 5 mm. long, tomentose, 2–3 together; bracts up to 5 mm. long, ovate to lanceolate, glabrous inside, pubescent outside.
Petals with a subcircular lamina up to 0·7 cm. in diam. and with a basal nectariferous claw up to 2 mm. long with a short ledge above circumvillous on the inner margin pilose at the back.
Androgynophore with a very stout glabrous lower portion up to 2 mm. long, produced into a pilose upper portion up to 2 mm. long.
Shrub, 2-5 m high. Leaves discolorous, nerve interspaces tomentose, nerves with tufts of longer brownish hairs. Flowers yellow.
Ovary 2-lobed or 1-lobed by abortion, silky-villous; style up to 10 mm. long, glabrous; stigma-lobes c. 4, rounded and dilated.
Shrub 2–5 m. tall; young branches ferruginously woolly; older branches with a reddish-brown bark and pale lenticels.
Fruit reddish, deeply divided into 2 globose lobes up to 2 cm. in diam. or 1-lobed by abortion, pilose, shining.
Sepals 1·8–2·6 cm. long, linear-oblong, golden-brown tomentose on the back, glabrous and yellow within.
Flower-buds oblong-ovoid.
Life form perennial
Growth form shrub
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention deciduous
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination entomogamy
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 3.0 - 5.0
Root system -
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Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months -
Fruit color
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Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

A tropical plant. They grow in river valleys. It must be in a frost free area. It can grow in arid places. It suits hardiness zones 10-12.
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Wooded grasslands, bushland, usually on termite mounds, and in river valleys.
Light -
Soil humidity -
Soil texture -
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 10-12

Usage

The fruit are eaten raw. They are also used for alcoholic drinks. Caution: Alcohol is a cause of cancer.
Uses animal food food gene source material medicinal
Edible fruits
Therapeutic use -
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Plants are easily grown from fresh seeds. The seeds should be soaked in water for a few days before planting. Seedlings can be transplanted at the 2 leaf stage.
Mode cuttings seedlings
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment soaking
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
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Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Grewia hexamita unspecified picture

Distribution

Grewia hexamita world distribution map, present in Botswana, Mozambique, eSwatini, Tanzania, United Republic of, South Africa, and Zimbabwe

Conservation status

Grewia hexamita threat status: Least Concern

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:834270-1
WFO ID wfo-0000709978
COL ID 3HDB6
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Grewia hexamita Grewia megistocarpa Grewia schweickerdtii Grewia dumicola Grewia messinica