Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Shrub
Grass
Origin
Southern Africa
Southeastern Asia, Melanesia, Micronesia
Types
Carissa Carandas
Saccharum officinarum
Number of Varieties
436
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Coastal bush land, Sandy areas
agricultural areas, Wet lands
USDA Hardiness Zone
9-1110-15
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-9
12 - 9
Sunset Zone
H2, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
H1, H2, 8, 9, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Cushion/Mound-forming
Clump-Forming
Plant Size
Minimum Height
60.00 cm30.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
60.00 cm180.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
White
White hair and some brown spots on margins and at tips
Flower Color Modifier
-
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Hot Pink, Magenta, Purple, Red
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Dark Green
Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Dark Green
Light Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Dark Green
Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Dark Green
Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Oval to roundish
Acicular
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Summer, Fall
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Slow
Very Fast
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Clay, Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Average
Bloom Time
Indeterminate
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Wet Site, Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground, Pot
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Seedlings, Stem Cutting
Plant Maintenance
Medium
High
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Average Water Needs
Water Deeply
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Clay, Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Average
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Prune ocassionally, Remove dead branches, Remove Ferns
Fertilizers
Equal amount of N,P,K
Equal amount of N,P,K, fertilize in growing season
Pests and Diseases
Aphids
Beetles, Fusarium root rot, Head smut
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Heat Tolerance, Shade areas
Flowers
Showy
Showy
Flower Petal Number
Single
Single
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Medium
Coarse
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Birds
Butterflies, Rats, Squirrels
Allergy
Mildly Toxic
Diabetes, Sleepiness
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
along a porch, deck or patio, Ground Cover, small hedge
-
Beauty Benefits
-
Maintains teeth healthy, Making cosmetics
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Food for animals, Food for birds
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Iron, Potassium, Vitamin C
Aging, Antidepressant, Aphrodisiac, Appetite enhancer, Diuretic, Fatigue, Muscle Pain, Nutrients
Part of Plant Used
Fruits
Leaf Stalks, Leaves, Stem
Other Uses
Cake, Jam, Jelly, Sauces
Animal Feed, Biomass for fuel, Can be made into a herbal tea, Food for animals, Sometimes used for making wine
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Bedding Plant, Container, Edging, Edible, Foundation, Groundcover, Hedges, Topiary, Bonsai, Espalier, Tropical
Dried Flower/Everlasting, Edible, Feature Plant, Tropical
Botanical Name
CARISSA macrocarpa 'Emerald Blanket'
SACCHARUM officinarum
Common Name
Large Num-Num
Sugarcane
In Hindi
नेटाल बेर
गन्ना
In German
Natal Plum
Saccharum
In French
natal Plum
Canne à sucre
In Spanish
Ciruela Natal
Saccharum
In Greek
Natal Plum
Saccharum
In Portuguese
Natal Plum
Cana-de-açúcar
In Polish
Natal Plum
Saccharum
In Latin
Natal Plum
Saccharum
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Liliopsida
Order
Gentianales
Cyperales
Family
Apocynaceae
Poaceae
Genus
Carissa
Saccharum
Clade
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Commelinids, Monocots
Tribe
Carisseae
Andropogoneae
Subfamily
Rauvolfioideae
Panicoideae
Number of Species
2036
1
27800
👆🏻