Folsha or Falsa, Grewia asiatica

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Folsha or Falsa (Grewia asiatica, family: Tiliaceae) is a small-sized deciduous tree with short trunk and drooping branches, attaining a height of 6-7 m. Young shoots are pubescent. Bark is rough and grey in color. It is a little known tree of edible fruit in the country. The spectacular young leaves are reddish and this feature is enough to identify the tree.


Other names: Shukri, Dhamani. 

It is found in village thickets as well as hilly areas of Bangladesh. It is also found in some countries of South and Southeast Asia.


Leaves are heart-shaped, broadly ovate, 6-20 cm long and 8-10 cm wide, cordate at the base, dented, tip slightly elongated, alternate.


Flowers are small, 2 cm in diameter, yellow-colored, in axillary clusters. Petals 5, sepals 5. Sepals are twice as large as the petals. Flowering occurs in March-April.


Fruits are drupe, round, 10-12 mm across, dark purple when ripe. The taste of the fruit is basically sour, but slightly sweet too. The fruit ripens one month after flowering. Propagation of the plant is caused by seeds and cuttings.


Kids like to eat these fruits. The leaves can be fed to cattle. The bark is used as an alternative to soap somewhere. A variety of soft drinks and juices can be made from its ripe fruits. 

Comments

  1. Munawer MesbahMay 7, 2021 at 11:01 PM

    I want to know more details about cultivation, flowering time and harvesting time of Falsa in Banfladesh.
    Will you HELP?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Mohammad AliMay 8, 2021 at 12:02 AM

    Thanks for your query. 'Flowering occurs in March-April' is alredy mentioned in this site. I will give details about its cultivation later.

    ReplyDelete

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