Life Span
Annual
Perennial
Type
Shrub
Grass
Origin
Southern Africa
North America, United States, Western United States, Southwestern United States, Mexico
Types
Carissa bispinosa, Carissa carandas
Grasses
Number of Varieties
201
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Coastal Regions, Tropical regions
Dry areas
USDA Hardiness Zone
9-113-9
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-9
9 - 5
Sunset Zone
H2, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14, 18, 19, 20, 21
Habit
Cushion/Mound-forming
Clump-Forming
Plant Size
Minimum Height
90.00 cm45.70 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
60.00 cm25.40 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
Light Red
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Dark Green
Green, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Dark Green
Light Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Dark Green
Purple, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Dark Green
Tan
Shape
Leaf Shape
Elliptic and Ovate
Grass like
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Slow
Fast
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Clay, Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral
Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Indeterminate
Summer, Late Summer
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Shade areas
Pollution, Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground, Pot
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings, Stem Planting, Vegetative Reproduction
Divison, Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Low
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Average Water Needs, Do Not over Water, Never Over-water, Requires regular watering, Water daily during growing season, Water when top layer of soil becomes dry
Medium
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral
Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Clay, Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Pruning
Prune if you want to improve plant shape, Prune to control growth, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves, Remove dead or diseased plant parts
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
fertilize in growing season, Nitrogen, Phosphorous, Potassium
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Insects, Red blotch, Scale, Spider mites, Thripes, Whiteflies
Beetles, Grasshoppers
Plant Tolerance
Shade areas
Drought
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
Fine
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Birds
Butterflies
Allergy
Toxic
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Beautification, Bonsai, Cottage Garden, Landscape Designing, Showy Purposes
Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification, Food for insects, Prevent Soil Erosion
Air purification, Erosion control
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
-
Cuts
Part of Plant Used
Flowers, Fruits
Leaves
Other Uses
Decoration Purposes, Showy Purposes, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for its medicinal properties
Used to feed livestock
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, Lawns and Turf, Mixed Border, Rock Garden / Wall
Botanical Name
CARISSA macrocarpa
BOUTELOUA gracilis
Common Name
Carissia
Blue Grama Grass, Mosquito Grass
In Hindi
Carissa
Bouteloua gracilis
In German
carissa
Bouteloua Gracilis
In French
carissa
Bouteloua aristidoides
In Spanish
carissa
Chondrosum gracile
In Greek
carissa
Bouteloua gracilis
In Portuguese
carissa
Bouteloua Gracilis
In Polish
carissa
Bouteloua Gracilis
In Latin
carissa
Bouteloua Gracilis
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Liliopsida
Order
Gentianales
Cyperales
Family
Apocynaceae
Poaceae
Genus
Carissa
Bouteloua
Clade
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots
Tribe
Carisseae
Cynodonteae
Subfamily
Rauvolfioideae
Chloridoideae
Number of Species
100100
1
27800
👆🏻