Carissa edulis

Carissa edulis 

Family: Apocynaceae

Common names: simple-spined num-num, climbing num-num, small num-num, enkeldoringnoemnoem, ranknoemnoem, kleinnoemnoem.

It is a much branched spiny evergreen shrub or small tree, usually multistemmed, often scrambling up to 6 m tall and forming a dense canopy. All parts of the plant release white, non-toxic, milky latex. Young branches are green, smoothly covered with short hair, but older branches and stem become light brown and corky with deep cracks. The plant is armed with rigid spines up to 70 mm long and nearly always simple, not forked as with other species. Leaves are simple and opposite, leathery, dark green above and paler below, with or without hair; and leaf base is shallowly lobed; margins are smooth; leaf stalk up to 5 mm long. Flowers in terminal heads up to 40 mm in diameter, white tinged pink to purple and up to 20 mm long; corolla with lobes overlapping to the right, with a strong sweet jasmine-like scent. Flowering in spring and early summer. Fruits fleshy, ovoid, 6-11 mm in diameter, red to purplish black berries 2- to 4-seeded. Unripe fruits are green with red to purplish marks. Ripe fruits are dark red to purplish black. Fruits are edible, the milky red pulp having a pleasant sweet taste and being much sought after. The fruit can be fermented to make a refreshing pink wine or left longer to make vinegar. Boys eat the fruits when looking after livestock in the forest.

Sowing instructions: Sow seeds in summer in a well drained medium. Keep them in a warm spot; germination takes about 7-14 days.

Locality: Marloth Park. Harvest: January 2025