Phalsa is a small, sour-sweet purple berry of North Indian summers, sold in May and June and made into a chilled sherbet. The shrub is grown in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, often on dry land unsuited to other fruit. The fruit is so soft that it spoils within a day or two of picking, which keeps it mostly local. Older books placed it in Tiliaceae, a family now merged into Malvaceae.
- Botanical name
- Grewia asiatica L.
- Family
- Malvaceae
- Tamil
- Phalsa
- Hindi
- Phalsa
- Sanskrit
- Parūṣaka
- Parts used
- Ripe fruit
- Habit
- Summer berry shrub; the sour-sweet fruit is cuisine, not a cooling capsule
- Last updated
- 2026-10-27
How to recognise Phalsa
It is a shrub or small tree, usually pruned to head height, with drooping, slender branches.
The leaves are broad and rounded, toothed, with three to five main veins rising from the base, and soft hairs below.
Small yellow flowers with many stamens grow in clusters in the leaf axils in spring.
The fruit is a pea-sized drupe that turns red then dark purple-black when ripe, with one or two hard seeds.
Unlike jamun, which is an oval fruit on a tall tree, phalsa grows on a low bush in small round clusters.
Traditional use of Phalsa
Kitchen
Ripe berries are mashed with sugar, salt and roasted cumin and strained into phalsa sherbet, a summer drink in Delhi and Lahore.
North Indian and Punjabi food practice
Kitchen
They are also eaten fresh with a pinch of salt and black pepper, or made into squash and jam.
North Indian food practice
Farming
Growers cut the bushes back hard in winter, which makes them send out new shoots that bear the next summer’s fruit.
North Indian orchard practice
Modern notes on Phalsa
The fruit is rich in anthocyanins, the purple pigments also found in jamun and grapes.
It supplies vitamin C, potassium and fibre.
Studies on its extracts are mostly laboratory or animal work, so health claims for the fruit remain unproven in people.
Phalsa safety
The berry is a safe food in normal amounts. Wash it well, since the soft fruit is hard to clean after mashing.
Ecology and sourcing
It is native to South Asia and tolerates heat, drought and poor soil.
Bees pollinate the flowers, and birds take the ripe berries quickly.
Its tough bark fibre was once used for rope.
Related plants
Also in Malvaceae
Questions about Phalsa
When is phalsa in season?
Mainly in May and June in North India.
Why is Phalsa hard to find in shops?
The berries spoil within a day or two of picking.
What does Phalsa taste like?
Tart and sweet, a little like a sour grape or berry.
Is Phalsa the same as jamun?
No. Jamun is Syzygium cumini, a tall tree with oval fruit.
Can Phalsa grow in South India?
It grows best in hot, dry summers but can fruit in dry parts of the south.
Sources
- Grewia asiatica L. — Plants of the World Online, Kew (search) (accessed 2026)
- Wikidata item Q1998501 (Grewia asiatica)
Educational page about a plant. It is not medical advice, not a diagnosis, and not an offer to sell. Traditional use is historical. If you need care, ask a licensed clinician. Questions: hello@meevamed.com.