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.