University of Florida Plant Information Carissa grandiflora Natal Plum, Common Carissa1

FPS107

Scientific name: Carissa grandiflora

Pronunciation: kuh-RISS-uh gran-dif-FLOR-uh

Common name(s): natal plum, common carissa

Family: Apocynaceae Plant type: ground cover

USDA hardiness zones: 9B through 11 (Figure 5)

Planting month for zone 9: year round

Planting month for zone 10 and 11: year round

Origin: not native to North America

Invasive potential: not known to be invasive

Uses: bonsai; foundation; screen; border; mass planting; container or above-ground planter; fruit; espalier; ground cover; superior hedge; small parking lot islands (< 100 square feet in size); medium-sized parking lot islands (100–200 square feet in size); large parking lot islands (> 200 square feet in size)

Availability: generally available in many areas within its hardiness range

1. This document is FPS107, one of a series of the Environmental Horticulture Department, UF/IFAS Extension. Original publication date October 1999. Revised March 2023. Visit the EDIS website at https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu for the currently supported version of this publication.

2. Edward F. Gilman, professor emeritus; Ryan W. Klein, assistant professor; and Gail Hansen, professor, Environmental Horticulture Department, UF/IFAS Extension, Gainesville, FL 32611.