North America Non-native Plant

Grewia Hexamita

Botanical name: Grewia hexamita

USDA symbol: GRHE7

Native status: Not native but doesn't reproduce and persist in the wild

Grewia hexamita: The Mystery Plant That’s Got Gardeners Scratching Their Heads Ever stumbled across a plant name that seems to exist in a botanical black hole? Well, meet Grewia hexamita – a plant that’s playing an impressive game of hide-and-seek with the gardening world. If you’ve come across this name ...

Grewia hexamita: The Mystery Plant That’s Got Gardeners Scratching Their Heads

Ever stumbled across a plant name that seems to exist in a botanical black hole? Well, meet Grewia hexamita – a plant that’s playing an impressive game of hide-and-seek with the gardening world. If you’ve come across this name and are wondering whether to add it to your garden wishlist, you’re not alone in your confusion.

The Case of the Missing Plant

Here’s the thing about Grewia hexamita: it’s proving to be as elusive as a unicorn in your backyard. Despite the botanical name suggesting it belongs to the Grewia genus (part of the mallow family), reliable information about this specific plant is practically non-existent in standard botanical databases and horticultural references.

The genus Grewia does include real plants – lovely shrubs and small trees that are perfectly legitimate members of the plant kingdom. But hexamita as a species name? That’s where things get murky.

What This Means for Your Garden

Before you start planning garden space for this mysterious plant, here are some important considerations:

  • The plant name may be misspelled or misidentified
  • It could be an outdated synonym for another plant
  • The information source might be unreliable
  • It may be an extremely rare or recently described species with limited cultivation information

A Gardener’s Detective Work

If you’ve encountered Grewia hexamita somewhere and are determined to solve this botanical mystery, here’s what you can do:

  • Double-check the spelling and source of the name
  • Consult with local botanical gardens or extension services
  • Look for similar-sounding Grewia species that might be what you’re actually seeking
  • Consider whether you might be looking for a different plant altogether

Better Bets for Your Garden

While the mystery of Grewia hexamita remains unsolved, there are plenty of well-documented native plants that can bring beauty and wildlife value to your garden. Consider researching plants that are:

  • Native to your specific region
  • Well-documented with clear growing requirements
  • Available from reputable nurseries
  • Proven to thrive in gardens like yours

The Bottom Line

Sometimes in gardening, as in life, not every plant name leads to a happy ending. Grewia hexamita appears to be one of those botanical dead ends that reminds us to always verify our sources and stick with well-documented plants for our gardens.

If you do happen to crack the case of this elusive plant, the gardening community would love to hear about it! Until then, there are thousands of other wonderful, well-documented native plants just waiting to make your garden their home.

Grewia Hexamita

Classification

Group

Dicot

Kingdom

Plantae - Plants

Subkingdom

Tracheobionta - Vascular plants

Superdivision

Spermatophyta - Seed plants

Division

Magnoliophyta - Flowering plants

Subdivision
Class

Magnoliopsida - Dicotyledons

Subclass

Dilleniidae

Order

Malvales

Family

Tiliaceae Juss. - Linden family

Genus

Grewia L. - grewia

Species

Grewia hexamita Burret

Plant data source: USDA, NRCS 2025. The PLANTS Database. https://plants.usda.gov,. 2/25/2025. National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC USA