Common Name:

General Information

Grewia mollis is a slow-growing, deciduous shrub or small tree, often multi-stemmed and branching from very low down on the bole; it can grow up to 10.5 metres tall[]. The plant is often gregarious, with branch-suckering leading to the formation of thickets[]
A multipurpose tree that is harvested from the wild to provide food, medicines, fibre and timber. It is widely utilised locally in many areas of Africa.

Known Hazards

Some reports suggest that a high concentration of the stem bark in dietary exposure may cause some
adverse effects, especially liver injury[]

Botanical References

Range

Tropical Africa - Sierra Leone to Somalia and the Yemen, south to Angola and Zambia.

Habitat

Forest, open woodland, riverine thicket, Acacia-Combretum wooded grassland, and on anthills in seasonally flooded grassland, from sea level to elevations of 2,200 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Shrub
Height	8.00 m
Growth Rate	Slow
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of tropical regions, found in areas with an annual average rainfall of 600 - 1,400 mm, at low to medium elevations[].
Grows on a range of soil types[].
The plant is highly resistant to fire[].
Germination in the wild often occurs after a bush fire followed by rains[].
Trees respond to coppicing and pollarding[].

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw or boiled[, ]. A sweet flavour, they are eaten as a snack[]. The fruit is a globose drupe 4 - 8 mm × 5 - 8 mm in size[].

The mucilaginous leaves are used in soups[]. Young leaves are cooked as a vegetable[].
The flowers, buds and young shoots are added to soups and sauces[].

The dried flowers are used in sauces[].

The mucilaginous bark is eaten in soups[]. The bark is kneaded with water into a viscous substance that is added to sauces[]. Dried and ground, it is mixed with bean-meal to make cakes[]. The powdered bark is used as a thickener in soups[].
The stem bark powder or mucilage is commonly used in Hausa (Nigeria) as a thickener in local cakes that are known as 'Kosai' and 'Punkasau'. These are made from beans or corn flour, and the mucilage is said to enhance the texture of the food product[].

The ashes from the wood are used in the manufacture of salt[, ]. A salt substitute[]. The leaves, stems and roots also yield a kind of salt[].

Children suck nectar from the flowers[].

Medicinal

Many applications in traditional medicine are known. The whole plant is mucilaginous, and this is credited with much of the medicinal activity.
The mucilaginous property of the bark or leaf is used in application to cuts and sores. The Yoruba in Nigeria use it medicinally at times of child birth[].
Some findings demonstrated that the mucilage obtained from the stem bark can serve as a good binder in paracetamol
formulations[]. Some caution is advised, see the notes above on toxicity.

Extracts of the bark and leaves are drunk to treat fevers[].
An infusion of the bark is used to treat colic[].
The leaves, pounded and mixed with water, are taken against stomach problems[]. They are used to reduce gas in the stomach[].
The mucilaginous bark and leaves are applied to ulcers, cuts, sores and snakebites[].
A decoction of the leaves is used in baths and drinks against rickets in children and difficult birth[].

Bark and root preparations are taken to treat cough[].
A decoction of the roots is drunk in cases of palpitation[].
A liquid obtained by kneading the root bark in water is drunk to treat stomach-ache, colic and poisoning by certain plants[].
A paste of the ground roots is applied externally to rheumatic swellings and inflammation[].

The fruit is eaten to treat fevers[].

The sap from root-shavings is placed under the eyelid to treat sore eyes[].

Phytochemical studies have indicated the presence of tannins, saponins, flavonoids, glycosides, phenols and steroids in the leaves and the stem bark, together with the absence of alkaloids[]. Conversely, there are alkaloids in the roots[].
A crude methanolic extract of the plant exhibited antimicrobial activity[]

Other Uses

A fibre is obtained from the bark[]. The bark is made into cordage[, ].
The stems are beaten, washed and then dried to make a sponge-like material that is used for washing the body[].

A bark maceration is applied to give a smooth surface to mud walls, floors and stoves[].
An infusion of the bark obtained by cold or hot maceration in water is used in beating mud floors in order to give a smooth surface, and can be mixed with the mud or the walls of huts in order to give a smooth surface there[, ]. A mucilage from the bark is used as a hardener for floors and walls[].

The leaves can be crushed, mixed with water and used as a shampoo against head lice[].

The pinkish wood is hard and very elastic[, ]. It is widely used locally for items such as house construction, bed frames, walking sticks, tool handles, clubs, bows and arrows, shields, spear shafts and whips[, ].
The wood is used for fuel and is made into charcoal[, ].

Propagation

Seed - we have no specific information for this species but seed of this genus is generally best sown as soon as it is ripe. Stored seed has a hard seedcoat and may benefit from scarification before sowing in order to speed up and improve germination. This can usually be done by pouring a small amount of nearly boiling water on the seeds (being careful not to cook them!), allowing the mix to cool somewhat and then leaving it in a warm place to soak for 12 - 24 hours. Sow the seeds in situ or in a nursery seedbed or trays - do not allow the compost to become dry. Germination and early growth are usually quite quick.
Cuttings - best taken with a heel.

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