Carissa bispinosa
Water Needs
low; drought hardy
Shrub medium
Num-num
2 x 2
Size
Light Conditions
sun; semi-shade;
Frost
moderate
Flowers
lower white October to March; spring summer autumn
Garden Situation
screen; security; shade; semi-shade; container; dry shade; sandy soils; wildlife bees butterflies insects birds; narrow spaces;
Habitat
fynbos; woodland forest; coastal eastern cape; coastal kzn; grassland; bushveld
Region
western cape; thicket; subtropical east coast; highveld; bushveld savanna;
Rain Season
summer; winter
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Description
2 x 2 m shrub. It is spiny with an upright growth habit and thick foliage though less so in the shade. Flowers are small white stars, sweetly scented, from Oct – March. The num-num is a neat shrub which makes a good hedge. Half-hardy. Fruit loved by birds. Growth rate is slow.Copes with wind, salt spray, drought. Carissa haematocarpa, known to Karoo gardeners as the Karoo Num-num, a tough shrub for extreme conditions is placed within this species.
