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Grewia occidentalis
Also called Pink donkeyberry, Lavender Starflower, Common Cross Berry Raisin, Common Crossbery, Cross Berry, Four Corners
Grewia occidentalis, the crossberry, is a species of deciduous tree, indigenous to Southern Africa.
This decorative garden plant tolerates both light frost and drought. It also grows in both full sun or shade. The root system is not aggressive and can therefore be planted near buildings and paving, and it is very good at attracting butterflies and birds to the garden. The crossberry is best propagated from seed, although even then it can be erratic, as usually the seed needs to pass through the gut of a monkey before germination commences.
The berries are eaten locally, either fresh and raw, fermented with traditional beer, or used with goats milk to make berry yoghurt.
Grewia occidentalis occurs naturally across south-eastern Africa, where its range extends from Cape Town along the coast to Mozambique and inland to Zimbabwe.
Grewia aldabrensis · Phalsa · White raisin · Grewia bilocularis · Grewia bulot · Grewia emarginata · Grewia ferruginea · Brandy Bush · Donkey Berry · Grewia glandulosa · Grewia goetzeana · Giant raisin
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Grewia occidentalis by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
