Looking at Plants

Carissa macrocarpa

COMMON NAMES

Natal Plum, Common Carissa

Carissa (kuh-RISS-uh) – Latinized version of the Indian vernacular name for the Carissa plant

macrocarpa (mack-roe-KAR-puh) – with large fruit

OTHER NAMES / SYNONYMS

Carissa grandiflora

GROUP 

Dicot

FAMILY 

Apocynaceae

ORIGIN

Species – South Africa

DESCRIPTION

Natal Plum is an evergreen shrub that averages 8 to 10 feet in height with a 4 to 6 foot spread. It is upright, spreading, dense, and well-branched with a moderate growth rate.

Leaves are evergreen, oval in shape with a terminal spine, simple with entire margins, opposite in arrangement, glossy, leathery, 2 to 3 inches long, and dark in color. New leaves are sometimes copper in color. It has pinnate veins. The stems have long dual thorns and contain a milky, latex sap.

The white flowers are about 2 inches wide, star-shaped, fragrant, and are borne singly or in small clusters at the branch tips. Primary bloom period is spring/summer.

Fruit are red, oval to roundish, fleshy, about 1 ½ inches long and about 1 inch in diameter, and they contain a dozen or so small, flat, brown seeds.

HARDINESS

It is hardy in USDA zones 9b to 11. It is damaged by frost, so some protection is good in zone 9. It tolerates heat well.

LIGHT

Full sun is best, but it will tolerate some shade.

SALT

Good Salt Spray Tolerance – it will grow near the shore but will benefit from a little protection such as behind the first row of plantings or behind the first dunes.

Moderate Soil Salt Water Tolerance – it will tolerate brief intrusions of brackish water and rare flooding of salt water

SOIL

It will grow on a wide variety of well-drained soils, preferring a pH range of 6.0 to 7.0. It doesn’t like wet soils.

WATERING

It has moderate to good drought tolerance once established, so some water is needed for survival in dry spells. As with most plants, though, ample irrigation in droughts keeps it healthier and looking better.

PROPAGATION

Stem cuttings; seed –though highly variable

PRUNING

Pinch when young to promote thicker foliage; otherwise prune lightly as needed. It takes to pruning as a hedge well.

FERTILIZING

It has no special fertilizer needs. Unless a soil test suggests otherwise, a slow-release balanced analysis fertilizer applied per the product label will work.

PESTS

Florida Red Scale, Spider Mites, Thrips, Whiteflies

DISEASES

Root Rots, Sphaeropsis Gall, Anthracnose

DEER

Resistant

There are very few totally “deer-proof” plants. There are also, relatively speaking, few plants that are considered a preferred food supply of deer. Most plants fall in the big gap between. One of the biggest variables is the available preferred food supply in a given area. If their preferred food is scarce, they will munch on most anything. With its milky sap and thorns, Carissa would probably be a last resort, if at all.

OTHER

USES

Borders, containers, groundcover, foundation plant, hedge, general landscape beds

TOXICITY

A search of California Poison Control, Texas A&M University, Canadian Poisonous Plants Information System, University of Wisconsin, Poisonous Houseplants and Ornamentals - Merck Vet Manual, Purdue University - Guide to Toxic Plants in Forages, Poisonous Plants of the Southeastern United States - Alabama Cooperative Extension, Florida Poison Control, and The Cat Fanciers Association did not show this plant on any of their lists.

ASPCA lists Carissa grandiflora as non-toxic to dogs, cats, and horses.

The University of California lists Carissa macrocarpa as: Minor Toxicity: Ingestion of these plants may cause minor illnesses such as vomiting or diarrhea. If ingested, call the Poison Control Center or your doctor.

There are many websites that list all parts, except fruit, as toxic – so it is best to be cautious.