Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Shrub
Perennial
Origin
Southern Africa
Japan
Types
Carissa Carandas
Ophiopogon japonicus, Ophiopogon planiscapus
Number of Varieties
450
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Coastal bush land, Sandy areas
Damp shady woods, foothill woods, Lowland
USDA Hardiness Zone
9-116-11
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-9
12-1
Sunset Zone
H2, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
H1, H2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Cushion/Mound-forming
Clump-Forming
Plant Size
Minimum Height
60.00 cm10.20 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
60.00 cm2.30 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
White
White, Lavender
Flower Color Modifier
-
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Hot Pink, Magenta, Purple, Red
Indigo, Dark Blue, Black
Leaf Color in Spring
Dark 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
Light Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Oval to roundish
Grass like
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Growth Rate
Slow
Medium
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loam
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Indeterminate
Late Spring, Early Summer, Summer
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground, Pot
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Root Division
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Average Water Needs
Regular watering during dry periods
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
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
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
-
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Drought
Flowers
✔
✘
✔
✘
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
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Birds
Hummingbirds
Allergy
Mildly Toxic
Asthma
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
along a porch, deck or patio, Ground Cover, small hedge
Borders
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Iron, Potassium, Vitamin C
Antipyretic, Antiscrophulatic, Antitussive, Aphrodisiac
Part of Plant Used
Fruits
Root
Other Uses
Cake, Jam, Jelly, Sauces
useful as a ground cover
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Bedding Plant, Container, Edging, Edible, Foundation, Groundcover, Hedges, Topiary, Bonsai, Espalier, Tropical
Container, Edging, Groundcover, Mixed Border, Rock Garden, Wall
Botanical Name
CARISSA macrocarpa 'Emerald Blanket'
OPHIOPOGON japonicus
Common Name
Large Num-Num
Mondo grass, lily turf, snakebeard
In Hindi
नेटाल बेर
Mondo Grass
In German
Natal Plum
Mondo Grass
In French
natal Plum
Mondo Grass
In Spanish
Ciruela Natal
Ophiopogon planiscapus
In Greek
Natal Plum
Mondo Grass
In Portuguese
Natal Plum
Mondo Grass
In Polish
Natal Plum
Mondo Grass
In Latin
Natal Plum
Mondo Grass
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Embryophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Liliopsida
Order
Gentianales
Liliales
Family
Apocynaceae
Liliaceae
Genus
Carissa
Ophiopogon
Clade
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Monocots
Tribe
Carisseae
-
Subfamily
Rauvolfioideae
-
Number of Species
2050
1
27800
👆🏻