Grewia mollis Juss.

Shrub or small tree to 10.5 m tall; young branches densely stellate-pubescent, sometimes coarsely so or ferruginous, turning dark grey to black or reddish brownwhen older.. Leaves elliptic to elliptic-oblong, 2–14.5 cm long, 0.7–5.5 cm wide, acute to slightly acuminate at the apex, cuneate, broadly rounded or obliquely truncate at the base, margin coarsely and sharply serrate, ± glabrous to sparsely minutely stellate-pubescent above, densely finely greyish to brownish white-pubescent beneath, less dense and somewhat brownish on the veins; petiole 4–13 mm long, finely greyish to coarsely brownish or ferruginous pubescent; stipules lanceolate, 5–7 mm long.. Inflorescence a (1–)3-flowered cyme, 1–8 in a leaf-axil; peduncle 8–35 mm long; pedicels 3–11 mm long; bracts linear-lanceolate, ± 3 mm long.. Flowers yellow; sepals 6–10 mm long; petals obovate to oblong, 4–6 mm long, ± 2 mm wide, sometimes notched at the apex.. Androgynophore ± 1 mm long, glabrous, densely hairy at the apex.. Stamens 3–6 mm long.. Ovary 1.5–2 mm long, densely hairy; style ± 6 mm long.. Fruit unlobed, subglobose, 4–7 mm long, 5–7 mm wide, covered with a fine whitish tomentellum, also with a few scattered pilose hairs when younger, green turning yellow when ripe.. Fig. 4/35 (leaf, p. 11).

A tropical plant. In Kenya it grows up to 1600 m altitude. It grows on dry soils. It tends to be in drier regions. It grows in savannah woodland. It grows in the Sahel. It can re-grow after fire. It grows in areas with an annual rainfall between 200-800 mm. It can grow in arid places.

The flowers and ripe fruit are eaten. The flowers are dried and used in sauces. The ground bark is used for thickening soups. The leaves are eaten raw or cooked. The ashes of the root is used as cooking salt.

Plants can be grown by seed.