Grewia micrantha
Boj.
Golden raisin, Golden-fruit raisin
(c) Graeme White, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Graeme White
(c) Troos van der Merwe, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
(c) Troos van der Merwe, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
What to Eat
Edible parts: Fruit
Fruit - . A pleasant flavour.The yellowish, globose fruit is deeply 2-lobed, each lobe around 7mm in diameter.
Where to Find It
A tropical plant. It grows at low to medium altitude in open woodland in South Africa. It grows between 50-750 m above sea level. It can grow in arid places.
Africa, East Africa, Eswatini, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Southern Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe,
How to Identify
A shrub. It grows 2-5 m tall. The branches droop. The leaves are oblong. They are 8 cm long. The base is rounded or heart-shaped. The leaves have 3 veins from the base. The flowers are yellow. They are produced in the axils of leaves. The fruit are yellow and 7 mm across. They have two lobes. The fruit are edible.
How to Grow
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.
Medicinal Uses
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 roots are emetic.
Notes
There are about 200 Grewia species. They are mostly tropical. The fruit of most may be edible. These were in the Sparrmanniaceae and the Tiliaceae.
Names & Synonyms
Chimunha, Mkoma, Mtesa, Munhama, Natedje, Powe, Tensa, Tenza, Umsiphane lomkhulu
References (14)
- Dale, I. R. and Greenway, P. J., 1961, Kenya Trees and Shrubs. Nairobi. p 566
- FAO, 1988, Traditional Food Plants, FAO Food and Nutrition Paper 42. FAO Rome p 310
- Fowler, D. G., 2007, Zambian Plants: Their Vernacular Names and Uses. Kew. p 45
- Fox, F. W. & Young, M. E. N., 1982, Food from the Veld. Delta Books. p 356
- Long, C., 2005, Swaziland's Flora - siSwati names and Uses http://www.sntc.org.sz/flora/
- Ogle & Grivetti, 1985,
- Palgrave, K.C., 1996, Trees of Southern Africa. Struik Publishers. p 574
- Peters, C. R., O'Brien, E. M., and Drummond, R.B., 1992, Edible Wild plants of Sub-saharan Africa. Kew. p 192
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (1999). Survey of Economic Plants for Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (SEPASAL) database. Published on the Internet; http://www.rbgkew.org.uk/ceb/sepasal/internet [Accessed 11th June 2011]
- Ruiters-Welcome, A. K., 2019, Food plants of southern Africa. Ph.D. thesis. Univ. of Johannesburg p 76
- Swaziland's Flora Database http://www.sntc.org.sz/flora
- Welcome, A. K. & Van Wyk, B.-E., 2019, An inventory and analysis of the food plants of southern Africa. South African Journal of Botany 122 (2019) 136–179
- Williamson, J., 2005, Useful Plants of Malawi. 3rd. Edition. Mdadzi Book Trust. p 128
- World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
