Carissa spinarum near Hyderabad W IMG 7612

''Carissa'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

shrub A shrub or bush is a small to medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees by their multiple ...

s or small

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, e.g., including only woody plants with secondary growth, only ...

s native to tropical and subtropical regions of

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

and

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

. Until recently about 100 species were listed, but most of them have been relegated to the status of synonyms or assigned to other genera, such as '' Acokanthera''.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref>

Description

Different species of ''Carissa'' grow as shrubs or trees, attaining respective heights of 2 to 10 m tall. They bear smooth, sharp thorns that often are formidable; they are true botanical thorns, being modified branches, morphologically speaking. The thorns may be simple, as in '' Carissa spinarum'', dichotomously forked as in ''

Carissa bispinosa ''Carissa bispinosa'' grows as a shrub or small tree up to tall. Its fragrant flowers feature a white corolla. The fruit is red when ripe. Its habitat is woodland and forest from to elevation. Vernacular names for the plant include forest num ...

'', or dichotomously branched as in '' Carissa macrocarpa''. The

leaves A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...

are a rich, glossy, waxy green, smooth, simple, entire and elliptic to

ovate Ovate may refer to: * Ovate (egg-shaped) leaves, tepals, or other botanical parts *Ovate, a type of prehistoric stone hand axe * Ovates, one of three ranks of membership in the Welsh Gorsedd * Vates or ovate, a term for ancient Celtic bards ...

or nearly

lanceolate The following terms are used to describe leaf plant morphology, morphology in the description and taxonomy (biology), taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (that is, the leaf blade or 'lamina' is undivided) or compound (that is, the leaf blade ...

. They are 2–8 cm long, partly depending on the species, and generally are thick and leathery. In suitable climates some species flower through most of the year. The flowers are nearly sessile, 1–5 cm diameter, with a five-lobed white or pink-tinged corolla. They may be solitary or borne in clusters in an

umbel UMBEL (Upper Mapping and Binding Exchange Layer) is a logically organized knowledge graph of 34,000 concepts and entity types that can be used in information science for relating information from disparate sources to one another. It was retired ...

corymb Corymb is a botanical term for an inflorescence with the flowers growing in such a fashion that the outermost are borne on longer pedicels than the inner, bringing all flowers up to a common level. A corymb has a flattish top with a superficial re ...

.Dyer, R. Allen, The Genera of Southern African Flowering Plants”. , 1975 The flowers of some species some have a fragrance reminiscent of ''

Gardenia ''Gardenia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the coffee family, Rubiaceae, native to the tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, Asia, Madagascar, Pacific Islands, and Australia. The genus was named by Carl Linnaeus and John Ellis after ...

'', which adds to their popularity as garden plants. The

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants (angiosperms) that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which angiosperms disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particular have long propaga ...

is a plum-like

berry A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples of berries in the cul ...

in the shape of a prolate spheroid, like that of a rugby ball. In colour they vary according to species. In some species they are red when ripe, whereas others turn a glossy purple-black. Typically they are 1.5–6 cm in length, and usually contain 1-4 flat brown seeds, but up to 16 in some species.

Fruit

The fruit of the carissa is an oblong berry which contains numerous small seeds. The green fruit is poisonous, sometimes dangerously so, as is the entire plant; however, the ripe fruits are edible (though possibly tart), with some species having fruity flavors and overtones of

strawberry The garden strawberry (or simply strawberry; ''Fragaria × ananassa'') is a widely grown Hybrid (biology), hybrid plant cultivated worldwide for its fruit. The genus ''Fragaria'', the strawberries, is in the rose family, Rosaceae. The fruit ...

apple An apple is a round, edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus'' spp.). Fruit trees of the orchard or domestic apple (''Malus domestica''), the most widely grown in the genus, are agriculture, cultivated worldwide. The tree originated ...

. One single fruit contains around 52 mg of

potassium Potassium is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol K (from Neo-Latin ) and atomic number19. It is a silvery white metal that is soft enough to easily cut with a knife. Potassium metal reacts rapidly with atmospheric oxygen to ...

, 7 mg

vitamin C Vitamin C (also known as ascorbic acid and ascorbate) is a water-soluble vitamin found in citrus and other fruits, berries and vegetables. It is also a generic prescription medication and in some countries is sold as a non-prescription di ...

, 2.2 mg

calcium Calcium is a chemical element; it has symbol Ca and atomic number 20. As an alkaline earth metal, calcium is a reactive metal that forms a dark oxide-nitride layer when exposed to air. Its physical and chemical properties are most similar to it ...

, 3.2 mg

magnesium Magnesium is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Mg and atomic number 12. It is a shiny gray metal having a low density, low melting point and high chemical reactivity. Like the other alkaline earth metals (group 2 ...

and 1.4 mg

phosphorus Phosphorus is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol P and atomic number 15. All elemental forms of phosphorus are highly Reactivity (chemistry), reactive and are therefore never found in nature. They can nevertheless be prepared ar ...

. In its native range, the ripened fruits of ''C. macrocarpa'' are especially relished by local peoples, eaten raw or used to make jelly, sweets or candies. Numerous species of birds and mammals, and some herbivorous reptiles, are drawn to the vivid red ''Carissa'' fruits, consuming them and distributing the seed. '' Carissa carandas'' is cultivated in several Asiatic countries for its fruit, which is variously used in cooking, confectionaries and in folk medicine (see article).

Horticulture

''Carissa'' species generally respond well to gardening and are valued in topiary and in forming strong, dense, decorative, thorny, flowering

hedge A hedge or hedgerow is a line of closely spaced (3 feet or closer) shrubs and sometimes trees, planted and trained to form a barrier or to mark the boundary of an area, such as between neighbouring properties. Hedges that are used to separate ...

s. Some sprawling varieties are useful as ground covers.Floridata page for ''Carissa macrocarpa''
/ref> ''Carissa'' species are grown from seed or cuttings and tolerate slight frost.

Species

The following species are recognised. # ''

'' (L.) Desf. ex Brenan - widespread in E + S Africa from Kenya to Cape Province # '' Carissa boiviniana'' (Baill.) Leeuwenb. - Madagascar # '' Carissa carandas'' L. - India, Bangladesh; naturalized in S China, Mauritius, Nepal, Pakistan, Indochina, Java, Philippines, West Indies # '' Carissa haematocarpa'' (Eckl.) A.DC. - Namibia, Cape Province of South Africa # '' Carissa macrocarpa'' (Eckl.) A.DC. - Kenya + Zaire south to Cape Province; naturalized in S China, Ascension Island, Hawaii, Florida, Texas, Mexico, Central America, West Indies # '' Carissa pichoniana'' Leeuwenb. - Madagascar # '' Carissa spinarum'' L. - Africa, Arabian Peninsula, Indian Subcontinent, Indochina, New Guinea, New Caledonia, Australia # '' Carissa tetramera'' (Sacleux) Stapf - E + S Africa from Kenya to KwaZulu-Natal # ;Formerly included * '' Acokanthera oblongifolia'' (Hochst.) Codd (as ''C. oblongifolia'' Hochst.) * '' Acokanthera schimperi'' (A.DC.) Benth. & Hook.f. ex Schweinf. (as ''C. schimperi'' A.DC.)

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1470978 Apocynaceae genera Fruits originating in Africa Plants used in bonsai