Grewia Explained

Grewia is a large flowering plant genus in the mallow family Malvaceae, in the expanded sense as proposed by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group. Formerly, Grewia was placed in either the family Tiliaceae or the Sparrmanniaceae. However, these were both not monophyletic with respect to other Malvales - as already indicated by the uncertainties surrounding placement of Grewia and similar genera - and have thus been merged into the Malvaceae. Together with the bulk of the former Sparrmanniaceae, Grewia is in the subfamily Grewioideae and therein the tribe Grewieae, of which it is the type genus.[1]

The genus was named by Carl Linnaeus, in honor of the botanist Nehemiah Grew (1641-1712) from England. Grew was one of the leading plant anatomists and microscope researchers of his time, and his study of pollen laid the groundwork for modern-day palynology.

Ecology and uses

Several Lepidoptera caterpillars are found to feed on Grewia species. These include the common nawab (Polyura athamas) and the swift moth Endoclita malabaricus. The Bucculatricidae leaf miner Bucculatrix epibathra is apparently only found on G. tiliaefolia.

The parasitic wasp Aprostocetus psyllidis of the Eulophidae occurs on and around phalsa (G. asiatica). Its larvae are parasitoids of other insects - possibly pests of the plant, but this is not known for sure.

Several species, namely phalsa, are known for their edible fruit, which are of local commercial importance. The astringent and refreshing Grewia drupes are particularly popular in summertime. Folk medicine makes use of some species, which are reputed to cure upset stomachs and some skin and intestinal infections, and seem to have mild antibiotic properties. G. mollis is reputed to contain β-carboline alkaloids,[2] though whether such compounds occur in other species too and whether they are produced in quantities to render the plants psychoactive has not been thoroughly studied.

In Myanmar, the bark of the tree of Grewia polygama (Burmese: တရော်) or Grewia eriocarpa (Burmese: ပင်တရော်) is mixed with the soapy kinpun (Senegalia rugata) fruit and sometimes lime to make the traditional shampoo tayaw kinpun,[3] which remains widely used by the Burmese people and commonly sold in the country's open-air markets, typically in plastic bags.[4] [5]

Explorer Ludwig Leichhardt described preparing a refreshing drink from the seeds of native Australian species G. polygama.[6]

Selected species

See main article: List of Grewia species.

Formerly placed here

Some species once placed in Grewia (or genera synonymous with it) have since been moved elsewhere, particularly to Microcos:[10]

References

Notes and References

  1. Heywood et al. (2007)
  2. Brown (2001)
  3. News: Yadu . မှေးမှိန်လာနေတဲ့ တရော်ကင်ပွန်းသုံးစွဲခြင်း အလေ့အထ . The Myanmar Times . 31 August 2019 . my-MM . 2 August 2022 . 20 February 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210220213119/https://myanmar.mmtimes.com/video/127851 . live .
  4. News: Myanmar Shampoo . www.myanmars.net . 13 November 2018 . en-gb . 2 August 2022 . 17 August 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220817015406/https://www.myanmars.net/culture/myanmar-shampoo.html . live .
  5. News: Yan Win (Taung Da Gar) – Myanmar Shampoo . THIT HTOO LWIN (Daily News) . 16 April 2011 . my-MM . 2 August 2022 . 8 September 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190908094555/http://www.thithtoolwin.com/2011/04/yan-win-taung-da-gar-myanmar-shampoo.html . live .
  6. Book: Maiden. The useful native plants of Australia : Including Tasmania. Turner and Henderson, Sydney. 1889. 34. Joseph Maiden.
  7. Barrett, R. L. (2019). Three new species of Corchorus L. and Grewia L. (Sparmanniaceae / Malvaceae subfamily Grewioideae) from northern Australia, an earlier name in Grewia, and recircumscription of Triumfetta kenneallyi Halford Austrobaileya 10(3): 458–472 (2019).
  8. News: 'Dog's balls' shrub to be recognised as a new species, but colloquial name to remain. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 2019-09-09. Kristy Sexton-McGrath. 2019-09-09.
  9. Bussmann, R. W., et al. (2006). Plant use of the Maasai of Sekenani Valley, Maasai Mara, Kenya. J Ethnobiol Ethnomed 2 22.
  10. Hinsley (2008a), USDA (2008a)
  11. Hinsley (2008b)

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