This scrambling shrub or small tree boasts the largest of the pink flowering species of Grewia. Popular as a bonsai species, it is known in the US as Lavender Star, perhaps a more descriptive common name than Forest Raisin, a common name that refers instead to the older fruits which eventually turn black while still on the plant, like small raisins, as well as to the species habitat preference. Description: a small tree with a tendency to scramble if given the support of neighbouring plants, the Forest Raisin can reach heights of up to 10 m in the wild, though within a garden setting grows to between 3 and 5 m. Foliage is evergreen and very attractive, with leaves larger and rounder than its more well-known sister, Grewia occidentalis, up to 150 mm in diameter with a conspicuous midrib and veins. Flowers too are considerably larger than the Crossberry. Leaves are a dull to dark green, rough to the touch, and covered in soft hairs below. Most of this genus have serrated or scalloped leaf edges, and those of G. lasiocarpa, they form dense foliage cover, making it an ideal screening shrub. Pink flowers are up to 17 mm in diameter, standing above the leaves on short stalks, usually in groups of 2 – 4. These cover the tree from in summer, the heaviest flush being from January to March, though often in flower from November onwards. Red-brown fruits follow in autumn, 4-lobed and furry, quite large at 25 mm. these can remain for months attached to the branches, turning black as they age. Leaves resemble those of the small tree, Trimeria grandifolia (Wild Mulberry, or Big Ears, which gives an indication of the size and shape of the bright green leaves. These are rounder than thee Forest Raisin, with 5 to 7 veins radiating outwards from the base. A fast growing shrub it does occur in areas with high rainfall and the usual dry winter. Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal