Carissa macrocarpa

1.      Distribution and habitat

It grows in coastal bush, coastal forests and on sand dunes, from Humansdorp in the Eastern Cape northwards through Kwazulu-Natal to Mozambique.

2.      Description

An evergreen, compact, dwarf variety of Carissa with lustrous, leathery, rich green, oval leaves, white scented star shaped flowers and edible fruit. Grows in full sun to partial shade in a wide range of moist soils but requires good drainage. Tolerates high winds, front-line coastal conditions and light frost. Use as a low hedge or specimen and it is ideal for planter boxes. Suits Mediterranean, Contemporary and Coastal designs. Trim after flowering to keep tidy (www.alpinenurseries.com.au).

3.      Characters of the leaf

The leaf is simple, opposite decussate, petiolate, ovate in shape with entire margin, symmetric base, mucronate apex and pinnately reticulate vennation. The midrib is prominent on the lower surface. The upper surface is dark green in color, while the lower being paler. The Surface is nearly glabrous. The leaf is about 1-3 cm long and 1-2 cm wide at the middle parts while the petiole is about 0.1-0.4 cm long and 0.1-0.2 cm diameter, having slightly astringent bitter taste and odorless.

4.      Characters of the Stem

Both young and old stems are cylindrical to elliptical in shape, odorless and possess slightly bitter astringent taste, with monopodial branching, slightly hard to break, both of different age stems are breaking giving a fibrous ends and giving white latex on breaking. The young stem is green in color while the old stem is greenish brown in color. The stem of the shrub is erect and measure up to 70 cm in length and up to 1 cm in diameter.

5.      Characters of the root

The root is yellow to yellowish brown in color. It shows lateral branching, where the main root is tough and harder than the smaller lateral ones. The surface is usually rough showing numerous wrinkles and longitudinal fissures. The cork is easily separated from the inner tissues exposing a yellow interior. The fracture of the root is fibrous on the inner part and smooth on the outer part. The main root measures 0.5-1 cm in diameter, while the lateral branch measures 0.1-3 cm in diameter and extends10-30 cm laterally below the soil. The root has no odor and acrid taste.

Resources :

 Khaled M Allam, Adel M Abd El-Kader, Mahmoud AH Mostafa and Mostafa A Fouad. 2016.   Botanical studies of the leaf, stem and root of Carissa macrocarpa, (Apocynaceae), cultivated in Egypt.  Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry. 5(3): 106-113.

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