Malvaceae subfamily Grewioideae - Grewia family

Small trees, lianes, shrubs or herbs, often stellately hairy. Stipules small, deciduous. Leaves alternate, often asymmetric and 3-veined from the base. Flowers usually bisexual, actinomorphic. Sepals 5, or sometimes 2-4, free or occasionally connate. Petals free, equalling number of sepals, rarely 0. Stamens usually numerous. Ovary superior, 2-10-locular. Fruit a dry or ± fleshy drupe or schizocarp.

Comment: According to the most recent taxonomic research by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (APG-III), Malvaceae sensu lato now includes Bombacaceae, Tiliaceae and Sterculiaceae, three families traditionally considered separate but closely related. In this new concept Malvaceae would consist of the following nine subfamilies:

Byttnerioideae (formerly part of Sterculiaceae, including Hermannia, Melochia and Waltheria)
Grewioideae (formerly part of Tiliaceae including all our regional genera)
Sterculioideae (formerly part of , including Cola and Sterculia)
Tilioideae (formerly part of Tiliaceae Not in our region)
Dombeyoideae (formerly part of Sterculiaceae, including Dombeya and Melhania)
Brownlowioideae (formerly part of Tiliaceae Not in our region)
Helicteroideae (formerly part of Sterculiaceae, including Triplochiton)
Malvoideae (formerly Malvaceae sensu stricto
Bombacoideae (formerly Bombacaceae)

Worldwide: 25 genera, mainly tropical

Zimbabwe: 2 cultivated genera and 3 cultivated taxa.