Grewia villosa Willd.

Tiliaceae, Hutchinson and Dalziel. Flora of West Tropical Africa 1:2. 1958

Morphology General Habit

A coarse-leaved shrub

Ecology

Of the drier savannah regions, often on rocky hills

Morphology General Height

10–15 ft. high

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers reddish-brown.

Tiliaceae, C. Whitehouse, M. Cheek, S. Andrews & B. Verdcourt. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 2001

Morphology General Habit

Shrub 1.2–4.5 m high, plants apparently either bisexual or unisexual; stems flattened; young shoots densely covered with villous hairs.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves broadly ovate to orbicular, 2–15 cm long, 1.6–18.5 cm wide, rounded to obtuse or slightly apiculate at the apex, rounded to cordate at the base, margin serrate, pubescent above, more so on the veins, densely stellate-pubescent beneath with long simple hairs on the veins; veins prominent and finely reticulate, leaves appearing bullate when young; petiole 0.6–5.5 cm long, densely villous; stipules broadly ovate to ovate-lanceolate, 5–10 mm long, caducous.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescence a 2–10-flowered cyme.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers dull red, yellow or brownish; sepals 5–10 mm long, densely hairy on the outside, usually reddish on the inside; petals much smaller than sepals, 1–3 mm long, usually pinkish.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androgynophore

Androgynophore glabrous.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens

Stamens up to 3 mm long; filaments whitish; anthers yellow.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil

Ovary densely villous; style 1.5–3 mm long; stigma much divided.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit unlobed, subglobose, flattened vertically, 1–1.6 cm in diameter, orange to rusty-brown, covered with small warts tipped by long hairs, outer wall crustaceous and well-separated from the pulp.

Figures

Fig. 6.

Habitat

Dry Acacia-Commiphora bushland, rocky hillsides and beside dry watercourses; 0–1550 m

Distribution

widespread throughout the drier parts of Africa from Senegal to Sudan and Ethiopia and south to South Africa K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 T2 T3 T5 T7 U1 U3

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/19218725/149819446

Conservation

LC - least concern

Tiliaceae, H. Wild. Flora Zambesiaca 2:1. 1963

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androgynophore

Androgynophore up to 0·75 mm. long, glabrous, with a more or less membranous undulate rim.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil

Ovary not lobed, densely villous; style c. 3 mm. long, pubescent, especially towards the base; stigma divided into many laciniate segments.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit reddish, c. 15 mm. in diam., globose, shallowly 4-lobed, with small scattered tubercles bearing rather long caducous setulose hairs.

Morphology General Habit

Much-branched shrub 1–3 m. tall; young branchlets with yellowish silky hairs.

Morphology Leaves

Leaf-lamina up to 12 cm. in diam., subcircular to broadly elliptic, apex rounded, margin serrate, slightly cordate at the base and sometimes asymmetric, sparsely pubescent, green and finely reticulate above, grey-pubescent or villous below; veins prominent and reticulate; petiole up to 4 cm. long, setulose-pubescent; stipules 5–12 mm. long, ovate to broadly oblanceolate, pubescent, submembranous.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescences leaf-opposed or frequently arising some distance from the node; peduncle up to 5 mm. long, pubescent; pedicels similar, up to 3 mm. long; bracts c. 7 mm. long, ovate, similar to the stipules.

Morphology General Buds

Flower-buds globose to cylindric-globose.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Sepals 5–9 mm. long, linear-lanceolate, silky-pubescent outside, slightly pubescent and yellow inside.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Petals yellow, about half the length of the sepals, oblong or obovate-oblong, with a basal nectariferous claw circumvillous within but not extended above into a narrow ledge, nectary and lamina of about equal length, pubescent behind the nectary and along the mid-line of the lamina.