Grewia tenax (Forssk.) FioriFamily: Malvaceae
Synonyms: Chadara tenax Forssk., Grewia betulifolia Juss., Grewia chadara Lam., Grewia populifolia Vahl, Grewia ribesiifolia Hochst. ex Mast., Grewia tenax var. capillipes Lanza, Grewia tenax var. glechomifolia Chiov., Grewia tenax var. ribesifolia FioriCommon name: White Crossberry, Phalsa Cherry, Raisin bush
Hindi: गोंडनी Gondni
Telugu: Kaladi
Kannada: Kanger
Arabic: تبع، جديم
Sanskrit: Gangeruki
Malayalam: Oorakan
Description: A suberect to erect shrub, up to 3 m tall. Stem with ash-grey bark, young twigs stellate hairy. Leaves 3-5-costate, almost glabrous to sparsely or densely stellate hairy on both sides, ovate-elliptic or obovate to almost orbicular, 0.6-4.5 cm long, 0.4-4 cm broad, sharply serrate, cuneate at the base, acute to obtuse, rarely emarginate at the apex; petiole 2-14 mm long, hairy; stipules linear-lanceolate, caducous. Flowers solitary or rarely paired, on solitary, antiphyllous, (0.6-) 1.2 cm long, hairy peduncle, white, rarely yellowish-white, 2-2.5 cm across; pedicel c. half as long as peduncle, stellate tomentose. Sepals linear-oblong, (1-) 1.4 (-1.6) cm long, c. 3-4 mm broad, stellate hairy outside. Petals linear, (0.8-) 1.1-1.4 cm long, c. 2 mm broad, claw much smaller than limb, with somewhat reniform densely ciliate gland, bilobed at the apex. Stamens numerous, filaments slightly shorter than style or subequal. Torus angular. Ovary 4-lobed, glabrous, rarely stellate hairy; style c. 8-10 mm long, clavate, glabrous, rarely sparsely stellate hairy, stigma somewhat cupular. Drupe usually 2-4-lobed, lobes c. 5-7 mm in diameter, glabrous, rarely with sprinkled stellate hairs, orange yellow with red-dish tinge.
Bark and fruit as Antiseptic and Dysentery [Compendia of World’s Medicinal Flora]
Used in Ayurveda and Sidha. Wood decoction a remedy against cough. Sticky substance under the bark used as an insect repellent. For snakebite, root decoction drunk; roots mixed with those of Diospyros scabra, boiled and used to treat tuberculosis; roots boiled in milk and given to children as a tonic; roots for bone fracture. Seeds known for their con- stipating property and ingesting large amounts may lead to serious severe constipation. [CRC World Dictionary of Medicinal and Poisonous Plants]
Used in tuberculosis, anemia, tonic, purgative, anthelmintic [Handbook of African Medicinal Plants, Second Edition]
Used in constipation and stomach inflammation. [Medicinal Plant Biodiversity of Lesser Himalayas-Pakistan]
Leaves used in Hepatitis and boil [Medicinal Plants of Sindh : Indigenous Knowledge and Scientific Facts]
Used in Ayurveda and Sidha. Wood decoction a remedy against cough. Sticky substance under the bark used as an insect repellent. For snakebite, root decoction drunk; roots mixed with those of Diospyros scabra, boiled and used to treat tuberculosis; roots boiled in milk and given to children as a tonic; roots for bone fracture. Seeds known for their con- stipating property and ingesting large amounts may lead to serious severe constipation. [CRC World Dictionary of Medicinal and Poisonous Plants]
Used in tuberculosis, anemia, tonic, purgative, anthelmintic [Handbook of African Medicinal Plants, Second Edition]
Used in constipation and stomach inflammation. [Medicinal Plant Biodiversity of Lesser Himalayas-Pakistan]
Leaves used in Hepatitis and boil [Medicinal Plants of Sindh : Indigenous Knowledge and Scientific Facts]
