Phalsa Berry

You've probably had a similar experience.  You see an interesting plant in a mail-order catalog or nursery website you suddenly desire for your garden.  You order it.  But when it arrives you're disappointed that instead of receiving a lush mature plant, you receive something that looks like a twig with two small wilting leaves on it.  That's the story of my Phalsa Berry plant (Grewia asiatica), also known as a Falsa berry and Sherbert berry that I received in the mail this spring.

If you're unfamiliar with the Phalsa plant, it's a subtropical deciduous shrub or small tree in the Tiliaceae family.  Mature plants grow from 6 to 15 feet tall.  It has long skinny droopy branches when mature.  It bears small clusters of yellow blossoms in the spring.

The plant is self-fertile, grows in most well-drained soils in full sun.  It's a fast-growing plant, with most plants producing berries in their second year.  It does require annual pruning since berries are borne on the current year's growth.  Native to India and Southeast Asia, it is hardy in USDA zones 9 – 11.

The phalsa berries are small, measuring about one to two centimeters in size.  Purple in color when ripe, they usually contain only a single seed.  The berries a high in vitamin C, but are acidic and slightly astringent.  Ripe berries have a very short shelf life of only a few days.  The fresh berries are frequently juiced and made into a refreshing beverage with sugar added to sweeten the taste.  Commercially, the berries have also been used in soft drinks in Asia.

In India folklore, the plant's leaves and bark have been used to treat a variety of conditions ranging from cancer to urinary problems.

Since I've never tasted a fresh phalsa berry, I'll have to wait another year until my plant bears a crop of berries for me to try one.  Who knows, I may end up not liking its taste, just like I realized I didn't like the taste of fresh goji berries when my plant finally gave me a crop.  But that a different story.

photo by Kathy Low

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