THE most obvious characteristic of the two-coloured raisin-bush is indicated by its botanical species name bicolor, which means ‘two colours’ and refers to the fact that leaves are dark green above and grey to white below.
In contrast to the erect leaves of the brandy bush (Grewia flava) described a week ago, the leaves of the two-coloured raisin-bush are held horizontally or slightly drooping.
Names: G. Zweifarbiger Rosinenstrauch; A. basterrosyntjie, witrosyntjie; H. omuvapu (plant), omandjembere (fruit); N.–D. ≠ãun/s; Nd&Ky: ehonga.
The German name also refers to the discolorous leaves, as does the Afrikaans name “basterrosyntjie”, while “witrosyntjie” denotes the white underside of the leaf.
The fact that this shrub – according to my information – in several indigenous languages has the same name as the brandy bush shows that plants cannot be strictly sorted into different “boxes” for in practice these two species are not always clearly distinguishable.
The two-coloured raisin-bush is a slender many-stemmed shrub of up to two metres but may also be a slender tree of up to nine metres. It occurs on all types of soil throughout central and northern Namibia and is often locally common.
It is also found from northern KwaZulu-Natal to West Africa, Ethiopia and Angola, as well as in the Middle East and in India.
The simple leaves are alternate and may be densely woolly or hairless above, while the lower leaf is covered with densely woolly grey to white hairs.
The flowers of the two-coloured raisin-bush are star-shaped and bright yellow as those of most Namibian raisin-bushes.
However, while the brandy bush always has only one flower per flower-stalk the flower and fruit stalks of the two-coloured raisin-bush are generally divided in two and may bear single-lobed or two-lobed fruit.
Ripe fruit are 3 – 5 millimetres in diameter and yellow to orange to red-brown.
The bark of this Grewia is used for fibre, the wood for axe handles, walking sticks, clubs, bows and arrow shafts. The leaves are browsed by game and livestock.
The fruit is edible, sweetish but astringent. Soaked in water it makes a refreshing drink, and it can also be fermented into beer and distilled into liquor.
According to one source on the Internet the ashes of the leaves and the leaves themselves can be used like soap for washing laundry.
Some people say: ‘I do not eat food from the bush, only primitive people do that’. That is a mistake.
Almost all edible leaves, fruit, berries, roots, onions and tubers contain vitamins, minerals and trace elements, which are all-important for our health and which are missing in a diet consisting mostly of white bread, Coke, porridge made from sifted mielie-meal, sweet cool- drinks and sometimes meat.
Fruit and vegetables available in shops, which would balance the above diet, are expensive and often time-consuming to prepare.
So if you live in an area where bush food occurs, make use of it. Of course, you need to know which plants are edible and which may be poisonous.
Usually older people such as grandparents still have this knowledge. Learn from them while they are still with us!
