Common Name: Crossberry

General Information

Grewia occidentalis is a scrambling, deciduous shrub or a small tree, occasionally a climbing plant, growing up to 3 metres tall with rather slender glabrescent branchlets[].
The plant is often harvested from the wild for local use of its fruit, whilst it also has medicinal uses and is a source of wood and hair shampoo.
Grewia occidentalis has a very wide distribution, large population, is not currently experiencing any major threats and no significant future threats have been identified. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2018)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

Southern Africa - S. Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique.

Habitat

A climbing plant in closed forest; a shrub or small tree at forest edges and in forest relics; in the wetter areas[]. Found in a variety of habitats ranging from arid karoo, coastal dune bush, evergreen montane forest and wooded grasslands[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Least Concern
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Shrub
Height	2.50 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Succeeds in tropical and subtropical climates. Plants can tolerate at least some frost[].
Succeeds in most soil types in full sun or in shade[, ]. Established plants are drought tolerant[].
The root system is not aggressive and can therefore be planted near buildings and paving[].
This species is a 'must-have' species in the garden to attract butterflies and birds[].

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw[, ]. Quite pleasant to eat raw[]. In certain areas where the sugar content of the fruits is high, they are collected and dried for later use[]. Beer is also brewed from the ripe fruit in certain areas[, , ]. The red-mauve fruit is up to 2cm in diameter[].

Leaves[].

Medicinal

An important species in traditional medicine, it is used for a variety of purposes[, ]. Grewia species are valued in many cultures for their medicinal virtues. The main medicinal action appears to come from the mucilage that is found in the leaves, stems and roots, which has been shown to have soothing and healing properties. Taken internally it is often used as a remedy for diarrhoea and dysentery, for example, whilst externally it is applied to wounds, cuts, ulcers, irritations etc. The plant can be taken as a simple infusion or decoction, or it can be applied topically as a poultice of the plant, or the mucilage can be extracted from the plant, if required, by maceration and then decoction.

The bruised bark, soaked in hot water, is used to treat wounds[].

Root extracts were used to help in childbirth[].

Parts of the plant were used to treat impotence and sterility[].

Other Uses

The pounded bark, when used regularly as a shampoo, is believed to prevent the hair from turning grey[].

The wood is used for making bows, walking sticks, spear shafts etc[, , ].

Propagation

Seed - studies have shown that seed which has passed through the gut of monkeys and baboons germinates better than those collected from a tree[]. This is due to the fact that the seeds chemical inhibitors have been broken down by the animal's stomach acids[]. However germination is generally fairly good even from seed that has not passed through a gut[].

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