Life Span
Perennial
Annual
Type
Shrub
Tree
Origin
Southern Africa
New Zealand
Types
Carissa Carandas
Metrosideros excelsa
Number of Varieties
48
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Coastal bush land, Sandy areas
Coastal Regions, hedge rows, Woodlands
USDA Hardiness Zone
9-1110-12
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-9
12-9
Sunset Zone
H2, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
H1, H2, 16, 17, 23, 24
Habit
Cushion/Mound-forming
Oval or Rounded
Plant Size
Minimum Height
60.00 cm910.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
60.00 cm610.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
White
Red, Crimson
Flower Color Modifier
-
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Hot Pink, Magenta, Purple, Red
Brown, Sandy Brown
Leaf Color in Spring
Dark Green
Light Green, Dark Green, Gray
Leaf Color in Summer
Dark Green
Dark Green, Gray
Leaf Color in Fall
Dark Green
Dark Green, Gray
Leaf Color in Winter
Dark Green
Dark Green, Gray
Shape
Leaf Shape
Oval to roundish
Acicular
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Spring, Summer
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Slow
Medium
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Indeterminate
Late Spring, Early Summer
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought, Salt
Where to Plant?
Ground, Pot
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Average Water Needs
Requires regular 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
Full 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
Red blotch
Plant Tolerance
Drought
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
Medium
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Birds
Birds, Hummingbirds
Allergy
Mildly Toxic
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
along a porch, deck or patio, Ground Cover, small hedge
Used as Christmas tree, Used for making hedges
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Iron, Potassium, Vitamin C
Astringent, Dysentry
Part of Plant Used
Fruits
Flowers, Wood
Other Uses
Cake, Jam, Jelly, Sauces
Application in Furniture
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Bedding Plant, Container, Edging, Edible, Foundation, Groundcover, Hedges, Topiary, Bonsai, Espalier, Tropical
Container, Feature Plant, Mixed Border, Screening / Wind Break, Shade Trees, Street Trees, Tropical
Botanical Name
CARISSA macrocarpa 'Emerald Blanket'
METROSIDEROS excelsa
Common Name
Large Num-Num
New Zealand Christmas Tree, Pohutukawa
In Hindi
नेटाल बेर
pohutukawa
In German
Natal Plum
pohutukawa
In French
natal Plum
pohutukawa
In Spanish
Ciruela Natal
pohutukawa
In Greek
Natal Plum
pohutukawa
In Portuguese
Natal Plum
pohutukawa
In Polish
Natal Plum
pohutukawa
In Latin
Natal Plum
pohutukawa
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
-
Class
Magnoliopsida
-
Order
Gentianales
Myrtales
Family
Apocynaceae
Myrtaceae
Genus
Carissa
Metrosideros
Clade
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
Carisseae
-
Subfamily
Rauvolfioideae
-
Number of Species
2012
1
27800
👆🏻