Carissa (Carissa macrocarpa), commonly called natal plum, is a fruit-bearing shrub native to coastal areas of southern Africa. The plant produces small, oval, red to purple berries with a flavour often described as a mix of cranberry, strawberry, and plum. The fruit is edible when ripe, though the rest of the plant contains toxic compounds and should not be consumed.
Natal plum is more commonly grown as an ornamental hedge plant than as a food crop. Its glossy leaves, fragrant white flowers, and tolerance of salt spray and poor soils make it popular in coastal landscaping across subtropical regions, including parts of Australia and the southern United States.
The fruit is eaten fresh or made into jams, jellies, and sauces in southern Africa. It remains a minor, largely foraged or garden-harvested fruit with very limited commercial production.
How it's produced
Carissa is both wild-harvested and garden-grown, with almost no dedicated commercial cultivation. In its native southern Africa, fruit is gathered from wild and semi-wild plants. Elsewhere, it’s typically picked from ornamental hedges and garden plants by those who know it’s edible.
The shrub is extremely hardy, tolerating drought, salt, wind, and poor soils. It propagates easily from seed or cuttings and requires minimal care once established. Fruit ripens over an extended period, so harvesting is done by hand in multiple passes. The thorny branches make picking somewhat tedious, which is one reason the fruit hasn’t been developed commercially despite its pleasant flavour.
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