Carissa edulis flower and leaves

Carissa edulis, the climbing num-num, could also have been classed with climbers because of its scrambling habit or placed among the shrubs due to its typical size. It may, however, grow to a small tree of about 5 m and has an SA National Tree Number (640.4).

The leaves are ovate or ovate-elliptic, sometimes almost round, often with acute apices as in picture, sometimes bristle-tipped. The leaf texture is leathery. They may be hairy, with their lower surface lighter in colour than the upper.

The white flowers are sometimes tinged with purple, although this is not evident here. Fruits are spherical, slightly over 1 cm in diameter and purple or black in colour. They hold two or three seeds and ripen in summer (Coates Palgrave, 2002).