The Society for Ethnobotany

Bhimal
Grewia optiva Drummond ex Burret

Fiber Products for Livelihoods

Professor Munesh Kumar

Why Bhimal is my favourite

Bhimal (Grewia optiva Drummond ex Burret) belongs to the family Tiliaceae and has a total of 150 species found in South Africa, India, Bangladesh, Madagascar, Malaysia, China, Northern Australia, and Thailand. It is restricted to the tropical and subtropical regions of the world (Anwar et al 2015). In India fiber-yielding plants hold second position for their economic importance.The growth of observed trees is much better in irrigated fields than when rainfed. The tree is hardy in nature. In the Indian Himalayan region, local communities traditionally remove tree sticks and extract fiber through the retting process and use it for various daily need products. In the changing world, local inhabitants are interested in developing modern, attractive fiber-based products for the market for higher-income generation.

Description of the tree

A full-grown tree is moderate in size, with a spreading crown, a height of 12 meters, a clear bole of 3-4 meters, and an 80cm girth. The bark is smooth and whitish-grey. Leaves are 5-13cm x 3-6cm, ovate, acuminate, sharply serrate, and rough and hairy on the upper surface. Flowers 1-8, solitary or axillary, petals yellow or white. The fruit is a fleshy drupe, 2-4 lobed, olive green when immature, and black when ripe. The tree remains leafless for a short period during March-April. The flower and new flush of leaves appear during April-May. The fruit starts ripening usually from October to December and may depend on the climatic conditions. The tree is a light demander and frost hardy; young seedlings are highly affected by dieback in winter. Trees have good coppicing ability and have the potential to stand 100% after lopping (Luna, 2005).

Grewia optiva 

Fiber products manufactured by the villagers

Uses of Bhimal

The village communities have asked to be supported and trained to develop various fiber products for income generation. Thus, we provided necessary facilities to the local inhabitants to learn, and they were trained to develop fiber-based products. Traditionally the villagers developed fiber-based products only for their daily needs. However, through training and other facilities provided, the villagers are developing various modern products, i.e., diary covers, sleepers, curtains, mats, baskets, and cushions, for their improved livelihoods. The growth of the Bhimal tree in the Indian Himalayas is abundant; proper utilization and unique products can be used to uplift the economic growth of the Indian Himalayan rural communities.

Flowchart of Bhimal fibre extraction to product manufacturing

Suggested Readings

• Anwar, J.; Shah, H.; Ali, R.; Iqbal, Z.; Khan, S. M.; Khan, S.; Rehman, S.; Shad S., Sohail; . Antioxidant Activityand Phytochemical Screening of Stem Bark Extracts of Grewia Optiva Drummond Ex Burret. J. Pharm.Phytochem. 2015, 3(6), 179–182.
  
  
• Brandis D. (1906). Indian Trees Repr by International Book Distributors, Dehradun.
  
  
• Nagar Bhuvnesh, Rawat S. and Munesh Kumar. 2017. Role of Agroforestry Trees in Sustaining Livelihood: A Case of Communities in Western Himalayas. Journal of Forest and Environmental Science 33(2): 91-96.
  
  
• Kiran K. Murasing, Munesh Kumar & Amit Kumar (2021): Effect of altitude on the mechanical strength of Grewia optiva fiber in Garhwal Himalaya, India, Journal of Natural Fibers, DOI: 10.1080/15440478.2021.1929652
  
  
• Lata Sneh and Verma K.R. (1993), Pre-sowing treatment of Bhimal (Grewia optiva) seeds. Indian Forester 119(2):135-138.
  
  
• Luna, R.K. (2005) Plantation Trees, International Book Distributors, Dehra Dun, 975 p.
  
  
• Pandey, A., and R. Gupta. 2003. Fibre yielding plants of India: Genetic Resources, perspective for collection and utilisation. Natural Product Radiance 2 (4):194–204.
  
  
• Rana K., Munesh Kumar, Kumar A. 2020. Assessment of annual shoot biomass and carbon storage potential of Grewia optiva: An approach to combat Climate Change in Garhwal Himalaya. Water, Air, & Soil Pollution DOI: 10.1007/s11270-020-04825-2.
  
  
• Troup, R.S. (1921). Silviculture of Indian Trees. Clarendon Press, Oxford.

About the author

Dr. Munesh Kumar is a Professor in the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, HNB Garhwal University, Srinagar Garhwal, Uttarakhand, India. Member of SEB (Society of Ethnobotany), Dr. Munesh Kumar is a 2025 recipient of the Society for Ethnobotany Mid-Career Award, email: muneshmzu@yahoo.com.

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