S. Demissew (1999) Tiliaceae. Flora of Somalia 2: 2-21
Plants shrubs up to 3 m tall, densely branched; young branches cylindical, dark grey to purple, glabrous to puberulous, with many lenticels. Leaf blades: elliptic to lanceolate, 1-5-12.5 cm long, 1-6 cm wide, lower surfaces whitish to grey tomentose, with short hairs, upper surfaces green and glabrous, bases rounded to slightly asymmetric, margins regularly crenate, tips acute to obtuse. Inflorescences 1-3 together, 2-3.5 cm ong, each with 2-3 flowers; peduncles 5-8(-13) mm long. Sepals 9-11 mm long; petals yellow, obovate, 6-7 mm long, bases not clawed; ovaries 2-celled, with 4-5 ovules per cell; styles with 4 broad stigma lobes. Fruits 2-lobed or 1-lobed by abortion, each lobe 6-7 mm in diamter, glabrous or with long scatterd hairs when young; stones reticulate.
Grewia bicolor grows in Acacia woodlan,and in wooded grassland at 50-500 m. It is known from regions C and S1-3 of the Flora of Somalia and in drier parts of tropical Africa and from Arabia to India.