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Grewia oppositifolia

Common name:		Family:	Tiliaceae
Author:	Roxb.	Botanical references:	11, 146, 200
Synonyms:	Grewia optiva (Drummond.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	E. Asia - Himalayas.
Habitat:	Foothills of the N.W. Himalayas to 1800 metres[146].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	2	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	0

Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	oppositifolia = leaves opposite
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Malvales. Linden family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	India

Physical Characteristics

A decidious shrub. It is hardy to zone 9. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs). We rate it 2/5 for edibility and 0/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Sunny Edge, Dappled Shade.

Edible Uses

Fruit.

Fruit - raw or cooked. A pleasant acid taste[2, 11, 158]. The fruit is about the size of a pea[200].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

None known

Other Uses

Fibre Paper Wood.

A fibre is obtained from the bark, it is used in paper and rope making but is not very durable[146, 158]. The fibres are 1 - 1.6mm long[189].
Wood - tough and elastic but with a very unpleasant odour when first cut. It is used for making oar shafts, tool handles etc[11, 146, 158].

Cultivation details

Succeeds in most soils[200].
This species is not very hardy in Britain, preferring hotter summers than are usually experienced here[11].
Plants are often cultivated in the Himalayas[158].

Propagation

Seed - we have no information for this species but suggest sowing the seed in late winter in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Layering.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Grewia optiva (a possible synonym).

[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.

References for the family Tiliaceae.

[CHINA] Draft Data Very detailed botanical/identification info. from the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[11] Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981
A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.

[146] Gamble. J. S. A Manual of Indian Timbers. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh 1972
Written last century, but still a classic, giving a lot of information on the uses and habitats of Indian trees. Not for the casual reader.

[158] Gupta. B. L. Forest Flora of Chakrata, Dehra Dun and Saharanpur. Forest Research Institute Press 1945
A good flora for the middle Himalayan forests, sparsly illustrated. Not really for the casual reader.

[189] Bell. L. A. Plant Fibres for Papermaking. Liliaceae Press 1988
A good practical section on how to make paper on a small scale plus details of about 75 species (quite a few of them tropical) that can be used.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
Blagdon Cross, Ashwater, Beaworthy, Devon, EX21 5DF, UK.
Website: www.pfaf.org Phone: 0845 458 4719/_44(0) 1208 872963

This page (UK) http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Grewia+oppositifolia
This page (US) http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Grewia+oppositifolia

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