Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Shrub
Palm or Cycad
Origin
Southern Africa
South Africa
Types
Carissa Carandas
Encephalartos lebomboensis
Number of Varieties
410
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Coastal bush land, Sandy areas
Upland savannas
USDA Hardiness Zone
9-119-13
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-9
12-8
Sunset Zone
H2, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
H1, H2, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Cushion/Mound-forming
Arching/Fountain-shaped
Plant Size
Minimum Height
60.00 cm300.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
60.00 cm300.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
White
-
Flower Color Modifier
-
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Hot Pink, Magenta, Purple, Red
Yellow, Orange, Orange Red
Leaf Color in Spring
Dark Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Dark Green
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Dark Green
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Dark Green
Dark Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Oval to roundish
Long linear and narrow
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Slow
Very Slow
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Indeterminate
-
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Light Frost
Where to Plant?
Ground, Pot
Container, Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Low
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Average Water Needs
Needs less watering
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
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Partial Sun
Pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
Equal amount of N,P,K
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Aphids
Cycad weevils, Root Pathogen
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Light Frost
Flowers
Showy
-
Flower Petal Number
Single
-
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Medium
Bold
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Birds
pollinators
Allergy
Mildly Toxic
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
along a porch, deck or patio, Ground Cover, small hedge
Cottage Garden, Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Iron, Potassium, Vitamin C
-
Part of Plant Used
Fruits
Bark, Pine
Other Uses
Cake, Jam, Jelly, Sauces
Traditional medicine
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Bedding Plant, Container, Edging, Edible, Foundation, Groundcover, Hedges, Topiary, Bonsai, Espalier, Tropical
Feature Plant, Mixed Border, Rock Garden / Wall, Tropical
Botanical Name
CARISSA macrocarpa 'Emerald Blanket'
Encephalartos lebomboensis
Common Name
Large Num-Num
Lebombo Cycad
In Hindi
नेटाल बेर
Lebombo Cycad
In German
Natal Plum
Lebombo Palmfarn
In French
natal Plum
Lebombo Cycad
In Spanish
Ciruela Natal
Lebombo cícadas
In Greek
Natal Plum
Lebombo Cycad
In Portuguese
Natal Plum
Lebombo Cycad
In Polish
Natal Plum
Lebombo Cycad
In Latin
Natal Plum
Lebombo Cycad
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Cycadophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Cycadopsida
Order
Gentianales
Cycadales
Family
Apocynaceae
Cycadaceae
Genus
Carissa
Encephalartos
Clade
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
-
Tribe
Carisseae
-
Subfamily
Rauvolfioideae
-
Number of Species
2066
1
27800
👆🏻