A small shrub, up to 1 m tall. Young shoots densely hirsute, older ones purplish-puberulous. Leaves with c. 4.5 mm long, densely hairy petiole; lamina narrowly lanceolate to lanceolate, 3-7.3 cm long, 0.5-1.2 cm long, oblique-obtuse at the base, serrulate, acute; stipules setose, 3-4 mm long, deciduous. Cyme 2-6-flowered, axillary, peduncles 1-3 together, hirsute, 2-3 cm long. Flowers polygamous, small, 8-10 mm across, white, becoming yellowish; pedicel 3-8 mm long, hairy; bracts minute. Sepals linear-oblong, 5-6 mm long, c. 1.5 mm broad, acute, densely hairy outside. Petals oblong, claw hairy outside, limb half as long as sepals, obtuse. Stamens c. 40, filaments 2-3 mm long. Ovary densely hairy, hairs as long as stamens; stigma penicillate. Drupe somewhat 4-lobed, subglobose, 8-10 mm in diameter, fleshy, sparsely stellate hairy, shining brown.

Type: Described from Himalayas, Wallich 1090 D (K).

Distribution: From Northwestern Himalayas eastwards to Bangla Desh and Sri Lanka (Ceylon), between 500-1500 m.

Differs from the closely allied east Indian and Burmese, Grewia hirsuta Vahl, by its narrowly lanceolate to lanceolate and comparatively longer leaves.

Both Wallich and G. Don dealt mostly with specimens from the same area, hence the doubt of Burret (l.c. 713) regarding the validity of Grewia helicterifolia description as given by G. Don is ruled out.