Phalsa
Grewia asiatica
Small purple summer berries for sherbet; cut it back hard each winter.
Hardiness: zones 9 to 12
Light: full sun
Size: about 12 ft tall, 10 ft wide
Harvest: May to June
From: India
Here: Too tender to overwinter outdoors on the Lake Erie shore (zone 6b to 7a): grow it in a pot and bring it in, or treat it as an annual.
Good for: food, pollinators.
Native to: South & Southeast Asian tropics, Sahara & Arabian deserts. Hardy in zones 9 to 12.
The story
Phalsa has been grown around Indian villages since antiquity for its small purple berries, pressed into a cooling summer sherbet sold at every roadside in May; it is one of the few fruits that ripens in the hottest weeks of the north Indian year.
Planting
Full sun, any drained soil, heat, and a dry season; it takes light frost. Plant a seedling; a shrub to 12 feet.
Growing
Water young plants, then little. Cut it back to 3 feet every winter; it fruits on new shoots.
Harvest and use
Berries ripen purple in late spring; pick daily, as they ripen unevenly. Juice with sugar and salt, or eat fresh.
What to watch for
Almost nothing.
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More berries and small fruit
General guidance, not professional advice. Conditions vary by yard and year; for local specifics ask your county extension office. Never eat a wild plant you cannot identify with certainty. Traditional uses are shared as history, not medical advice. © 2026 Sean Priest · Irie Orchard. Terms & credits · Privacy · Home