Grewia robusta fruit

The fruits of Grewia robusta, the Karoo cross-berry, do not here show the fully developed four-lobed square cross structure of seed positioning very clearly. One cluster has a fourth seed that is somewhat underdeveloped, while the others are incomplete as often happens in the challenging conditions presented by the habitat. The reddish brown fruit colour is typical. The photo was taken near Beaufort West in the Karoo in May, about halfway through the normal fruiting season.

Both fruit and leaves of Grewia robusta are browsed by game and stock (Shearing and van Heerden, 2008; Coates Palgrave, 2002).