WorldFloraDB - Carissa carandas

Characteristics

Shrubs, small trees, or climbers to 5 m tall. Spines simple or forked, to 5 cm. Leaf blade broadly ovate to oblong, 3-7 X 1.5-4 cm, base broadly cuneate to rounded, apex short apiculate; lateral veins ca. 8 pairs, ascending, convergent, anastomosing near margin. Cymes terminal, usually 3-flowered; peduncle 1.5-2.5 cm; bracteoles minute. Flowers fragrant. Pedicel about as long as calyx or slightly longer. Sepals 2.5-7 mm, with many basal glands inside. Corolla white or pale rose; tube to 2 cm, puberulent inside; lobes lanceolate, ca. 1 cm, acute, overlapping to right, puberulent, ciliate. Ovules numerous in each locule. Berries reddish purple, ellipsoid, 1.5-2.5 X 1-2 cm. Fl. Mar-Jun, fr. Jul-Dec. 2n = 22.

More

A large shrub. It grows 5 m tall. It has stout spines in pairs. They are 5 cm long. The leaves are oblong with distinct veins. They are 3-7 cm long by 2-4 cm wide. There are usually 3 flowers at the ends of the branches. The flowers have a scent. The fruit are red to purple berries. They are oval and 1.5-2.5 cm long by 1-2 cm wide.

At least some leaves oblong and all with rounded apex; with 4-12 pairs of secondary veins all forming similar angles with the midrib

Life form

perennial

Growth form

shrub

Growth support

-

Foliage retention

evergreen

Sexuality

hermaphrodite

Pollination

-

Spread

-

Mature width (meter)

-

Mature height (meter)

4.5 - 5.0

Root system

-

Rooting depth (meter)

1.5

Root diameter (meter)

-

Flower color

Blooming months

Jan	Feb	Mar
Apr	May	Jun
Jul	Aug	Sep
Oct	Nov	Dec

Fruit color

Fruiting months

Jan	Feb	Mar
Apr	May	Jun
Jul	Aug	Sep
Oct	Nov	Dec

Nitrogen fixer

-

Photosynthetic pathway

-

Environment

It is a temperate or subtropical plant. It suits drier areas. It grows in lowland rainforest between 300-1,800 m above sea level.

More

Dry, sunny places to elevations of 1,000 metres in Nepal.

Light
Soil humidity
Soil texture
Soil acidity
Soil nutriment	-
Hardiness (USDA)

Usage

Ripe fruit are eaten raw and unripe fruit are also used for pickles. Ripe fruit are used for juices, salads and jams. The fruit are eaten with salt.

Uses	environmental use food gene source material medicinal poison wood
Edible	fruits
Therapeutic use	Leprosy (bark), Anorexia (fruit), Anticonvulsants (fruit), Antipruritics (fruit), Antipyretics (fruit), Antirheumatic agents (fruit), Aphrodisiacs (fruit), Appetite stimulants (fruit), Astringents (fruit), Bites and stings (fruit), Demulcents (fruit), Diarrhea (fruit), Diet, food, and nutrition (fruit), Digestive system diseases (fruit), Edema (fruit), Epilepsy (fruit), Fever (fruit), Hemiplegia (fruit), Mental disorders (fruit), Pain (fruit), Postnatal care (fruit), Scabies (fruit), Scurvy (fruit), Skin diseases (fruit), Thirst (fruit), Wounds and injuries (fruit), Cooling effect on body (fruit), Antifungal agents (leaf), Fever (leaf), Hypotension (leaf), Anthelmintics (root), Antipruritics (root), Appetite stimulants (root), Cardiotonic agents (root), Cardiovascular agents (root), Cathartics (root), Diabetic foot (root), Dysentery (root), Exanthema (root), Gangrene (root), Histamine release (root), Hypertension (root), Hypotension (root), Intestinal diseases, parasitic (root), Scabies (root), Scurvy (root), Stomach diseases (root), Ulcer (root), Urinary tract infections (root), Urologic diseases (root), Wounds and injuries (root), Dysentery (seed), Insect repellents (seed), Pruritus (seed), Snake bites (seed), Sprains and strains (seed), Insecticides (stem), Bite(Dog) (unspecified), Collapse (unspecified), Dropsy (unspecified), Epilepsy (unspecified), Hemiplegia (unspecified), Madness (unspecified), Malaria (unspecified), Post-Natal (unspecified), Rheumatism (unspecified), Vermifuge (unspecified), Rabies (unspecified), Scurvy (unspecified), Stomachic (unspecified), Convulsion (unspecified), Sore (unspecified), Anasarca (unspecified), Anorexia (unspecified), Anticonvulsants (unspecified), Antineoplastic agents (unspecified), Antirheumatic agents (unspecified), Appetite stimulants (unspecified), Edema (unspecified), Fever (unspecified), Mental disorders (unspecified), Postnatal care (unspecified), Scabies (unspecified), Wounds and injuries (unspecified), Anti-bacterial agents (whole plant excluding root)
Human toxicity	-
Animal toxicity	-

Cultivation

Plants can be grown from seeds or by cuttings.

Mode	cuttings seedlings
Germination duration (days)	-
Germination temperacture (C°)	-
Germination luminosity	-
Germination treatment	-
Minimum temperature (C°)	1
Optimum temperature (C°)	23 - 30
Size	-
Vigor	-
Productivity	-