Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Shrub
Herbaceous Perennial
Origin
Southern Africa
Africa, Kenya, South Africa
Types
Carissa Carandas
Freesia
Number of Varieties
415
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Coastal bush land, Sandy areas
gardens, Grassland, Homesteads, Tropical regions, Wet forest
USDA Hardiness Zone
9-119-10
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-9
-
Sunset Zone
H2, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
-
Habit
Cushion/Mound-forming
Upright/Erect
Plant Size
Minimum Height
60.00 cm50.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
60.00 cm40.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
White
Yellow
Flower Color Modifier
-
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Hot Pink, Magenta, Purple, Red
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Dark Green
Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Dark Green
Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Dark Green
Green, Light Yellow, Brown
Leaf Color in Winter
Dark Green
Light Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Oval to roundish
Linear
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Spring
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Growth Rate
Slow
Medium
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Clay, Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral
Slightly Acidic
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Indeterminate
Early Spring, Spring
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground, Pot
Container, Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Seedlings
From bulbs
Plant Maintenance
Medium
High
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Average Water Needs
Keep the ground moist but not water-logged, Needs a lot of moisture in the growing season, Stop watering completely once the plant becomes dormant
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral
Slightly Acidic
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Clay, Loam, Sand, Well drained
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Shade, Indirect sunlight, Partial shade, Partial Sun
Pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Cut away fading foliage, Remove deadheads, Requires very little pruning
Fertilizers
Equal amount of N,P,K
20-20-20 amount, All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, Fertilize in early spring, Potash
Pests and Diseases
Aphids
Pests and diseases free
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Salt and Soil Compaction, 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
Medium
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Birds
Butterflies
Allergy
Mildly Toxic
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
along a porch, deck or patio, Ground Cover, small hedge
Beautification, Ground Cover, Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
-
Hair Conditioner, Making cosmetics, Skin cleanser
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Iron, Potassium, Vitamin C
-
Part of Plant Used
Fruits
Bulbs, Flowers
Other Uses
Cake, Jam, Jelly, Sauces
Cosmetics, Decoration Purposes, Showy Purposes, Used for fragrance
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Bedding Plant, Container, Edging, Edible, Foundation, Groundcover, Hedges, Topiary, Bonsai, Espalier, Tropical
Feature Plant, Flower borders, Screening
Botanical Name
CARISSA macrocarpa 'Emerald Blanket'
Freesia refracta
Common Name
Large Num-Num
Freesia
In Hindi
नेटाल बेर
Freesia
In German
Natal Plum
Freesie
In French
natal Plum
Freesia
In Spanish
Ciruela Natal
fresia
In Greek
Natal Plum
freesia
In Portuguese
Natal Plum
freesia
In Polish
Natal Plum
frezja
In Latin
Natal Plum
Freesia
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Gentianales
Asparagales
Family
Apocynaceae
Iridaceae
Genus
Carissa
Freesia
Clade
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Monocots
Tribe
Carisseae
-
Subfamily
Rauvolfioideae
Ixioideae
Number of Species
2016
1
27800
👆🏻