Grewia asiatica L.

 
  • Family : TILIACEAE
    (Linden Or Jute Family)
  • Family (Hindi name) : FALSA FAMILY (फालसा फैमिली)
  • Family (as per The APG System III) : Malvaceae
  • Synonym(s) : Grewia asiatica var. pierrei Gagnep. in H.Lecomte (ed.), Fl. Indo-Chine 1: 537 (1911); Grewia hainesiana Hole; Grewia obtecta Wall.; Grewia subinaequalis DC.
  • Species Name (as per The IPNI) : Grewia asiatica L.
  • Common name : Phalsa
  • Vernacular name :
    • Phalsa (Hindi)
    • Phalsi (Marathi)
    • Palastri (Telugu)
  • Habit : Tree
  • Habitat : Tropical semi-evergreen forests
  • Comments / notes : Occasional in Eastern Ghats. The fruits are edible and mostly eaten by birds.
  • Key identification features : Small tree with soft, yellowish pubescence; Flowers yellow; Fruit is edible and slightly acrid when unripe.
  • Flower, Fruit : November-August
  • Collector(s) Name : Cecil J. Saldanha
  • Collection Date : 14/04/1964
  • Collection Nos : CS 8717
  • Collection Locality : Lal Bagh Gardens, Bangalore
  • Distribution :
    • Andhra Pradesh : Visakhapatnam district
    • Karnataka : Ballari district, Bengaluru Urban district, Bengaluru Rural district, Chikkamagaluru district, Mysuru district, Tumakuru district
    • Maharashtra : Nagpur district, Yavatmal district
    • Odisha : Sambalpur district
    • Tamil Nadu : Kancheepuram (Changalpattu-CGP) district, Salem district
    • Madhya Pradesh : Madhya Pradesh
    • Uttarakhand : Uttarakhand
    • Sikkim : Sikkim
    • Himachal Pradesh : Una district
    • Arunachal Pradesh : Arunachal Pradesh
    • Meghalaya : Meghalaya
    • Assam : Assam
    • Nagaland : Nagaland
    • Delhi : Delhi
    • Uttar Pradesh : Uttar Pradesh
    • Punjab : Punjab
    • Jammu and Kashmir : Jammu and Kashmir
    • Mizoram : Mizoram
    • Manipur : Manipur
    • Tripura : Tripura
  • Native : Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Iran, Laos, Mauritius, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Réunion, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam
  • Exotic/Native : Native
  • World Distribution : Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Iran, Laos, Mauritius, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Réunion, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam
  • Conservation Status : Not Evaluated (NE)
  • Literature :
    • Pullaiah et al., 2002 - Flora of Eastern Ghats Vol. 1
    • Sudhakar Reddy, C et al., 2009. Tree Wealth of Eastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh, India
    • N.P.Singh, 1988. Flora of Eastern Karnataka
    • Rao & Razi, 1981 – A Synoptic Flora of Mysore District
    • H.O. Saxena & M. Brahmam, 1994- Flora of Orissa Vol. 1. pp.204
    • Henry, Kumari & Chithra (1983). Flora of Tamil Nadu, India vol. 1.
    • H J, Chowdhery, et al. Flora of Himachal Pradesh. Volume 1, Botanical Survey of India, 1984. Pg.: 120-121
  • Read more :
  • Permalink : http://indiaflora-ces.iisc.ac.in/plants.php?name=Grewia asiatica
  • Citation : Sankara Rao, K., Deepak Kumar (2026). India Flora Online. http://indiaflora-ces.iisc.ac.in/plants.php?name=Grewia asiatica. Downloaded on 21 March 2026.

Botanical Description

Field Image(s)

Habitat

Distribution District wise

India Distribution

World Distribution

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