Grewia mollis

Names and Synonyms

Scientific Names

Accepted name

Synonyms

• Grewia mollis var. morifolia
• Grewia venusta var. angustifolia
• Grewia mollis var. petitiana
• Grewia trichocarpa var. morifolia
• Grewia venusta
• Grewia petitiana

Sources: Wikidata, Catalogue of Life

Taxonomical Classification

This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae and is classified under the phylum Streptophyta and class Equisetopsida. Within the subclass Magnoliidae, it is organized under the order Malvales and the family Malvaceae. Finally, it is categorized under the genus Grewia, specifically within the species Grewia mollis.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Distribution

This plant is native to the specific region of West Tropical Africa. Its natural habitat can be found within the borders of Benin. Furthermore, the species is widely distributed across Burkina and Ghana. It also makes a presence in the country of Guinea-Bissau. Finally, its geographical range extends into Guinea to complete its regional distribution.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Botanical Identification

Life history

The life history of Grewia mollis is characterized by its status as a perennial organism, allowing it to persist through multiple growing seasons and establish a stable presence within its ecosystem. Functionally, the plant is classified as a phanerophyte, a life form defined by the protection of its reproductive buds above the ground level, typically through woody structures. Furthermore, its developmental strategy aligns with the phanerophyte category, ensuring that its vital growing points remain elevated and shielded from seasonal environmental stressors, which supports its long-term survival and continuous lifecycle.

Life form :

phanerophyte

Lifecycle :

perennial

Morphology

The morphology of Grewia mollis is characterized by its growth form as a woody shrub. It is a terrestrial species that functions as an independent organism, neither acting as a parasite nor an epiphyte. The plant is self-supporting in its structure and does not exhibit climbing habits. In terms of vertical development, its height is documented with a maximum value of approximately 6.10 meters, though it maintains a mean plant height of around 8 meters depending on specific environmental conditions and growth stages.

Aquatic :

terrestrial

Climber :

self-supporting

Epiphyte :

terrestrial

Growth form :

shrub

Parasite :

independent

Plant height max:

6.096074128 m

Plant height mean:

8 m

Woodiness :

woody

Physiology

The physiology of Grewia mollis is characterized by a C3 photosynthetic pathway, which dictates its carbon fixation processes and metabolic efficiency under specific environmental conditions. As a C3 plant, it utilizes the Calvin cycle to fix atmospheric carbon dioxide directly through the enzyme RuBisCO, typically favoring environments where temperature and moisture levels are moderate. Furthermore, this species does not function as a nitrogen fixer, meaning it lacks the specialized symbiotic relationship with nitrogen-fixing bacteria required to convert atmospheric nitrogen into a usable biological form, and instead relies on the uptake of available nitrogenous compounds from the soil.

Nitrogen fixer :

no

Photosynthetic pathway :

C3

Reproduction

Reproduction in Grewia mollis involves the production of seeds that exhibit a highly uniform physical profile, characterized by a consistent and specific weight. The seeds produced by this species maintain a strictly uniform mass, with a mean seed mass of 0.0667 g. This consistency is absolute across the sampled population, as the maximum seed mass is recorded at 0.0667 g and the minimum seed mass is also 0.0667 g, indicating no measurable variation in weight among the individual seeds.

Seed mass mean:

0.0667 g

Sources: Global Inventory of Floras and Traits (GIFT)

Plant Parts

Grewia mollis has 1 reported plant parts identified across 1 scientific publications and several other databases that are studied for medicinal purposes. The most consistently reported plant part include leaf.

Leaf

1. Journal of inflammation research

Chemicals

Grewia mollis has 1 reported phytochemicals identified across 1 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include polyphenols.

polyphenols

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Medicinal Uses

Grewia mollis has 1 reported medicinal uses identified across 1 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported uses include chronic diseases.

Most Reported Uses

Preparations