Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Grass
Fruit
Origin
Africa, Middle Africa, Southern Africa, Madagascar
Central Asia, Southern Asia, Western Ghats, India
Types
-
congesta, paucinervia
Number of Varieties
-2
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Grassland, Sandy areas
Fertile bottom land, moist forests, Temperate Regions, Tropical Forests
USDA Hardiness Zone
8-11-9999
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12 - 8
8-3
Sunset Zone
H1, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
-
Habit
Cushion/Mound-forming
Upright/Erect
Plant Size
Minimum Height
15.20 cm120.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
30.50 cm120.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Burgundy, Pink, Rose
Pale White, White
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Light Pink, Tan, White
Purple, Black
Leaf Color in Spring
Blue Green, Gray Green
Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Light Green
Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Blue Green, Gray Green
Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Purple, Gray Green
Light Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Grass like
Oval
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall
Spring, Summer, Fall
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Growth Rate
Fast
Medium
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loam
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer
Spring
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Cuttings, Rooted stem cutting
Seedlings, Stem Cutting
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Needs less watering
Keep the ground moist but not water-logged
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, Alkaline
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
Prune if you want to improve plant shape, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, Apply N-P-K
Compost, fertilize in growing season
Pests and Diseases
Red blotch
Aphids, Earwigs, Insects, Mildew, Red blotch, Rust, sawflies
Plant Tolerance
Drought, Shade areas
Dry soil, Heat And Humidity
Flowers
Showy
Insignificant
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
Fine
Medium
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
-
Birds, Butterflies, Fruit Bats
Allergy
-
Eczema, Mouth itching, Throat itching
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Bog Garden, Ground Cover
-
Beauty Benefits
-
good for lips, Remove blemishes
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification, Food for animals, Food for birds, soil stabilisation
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
-
Anemia, Diuretic, Potassium, Rich in Iron, Vitamin C
Part of Plant Used
-
Fruits, Leaves
Other Uses
-
Added to salads, Cosmetics, Culinary use, Used as a nutritious food item, Used As Food, Used for its medicinal properties
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Dried Flower / Everlasting, Bedding Plant, Cutflower, Edging, Mixed Border, Tropical
Edible, Fruit / Fruit Tree, Hedges
Botanical Name
MELINIS nerviglumis
Carissa carandas
Common Name
Ruby Grass, Zizka
Black Currant
In Hindi
Zizka
करोंदा, कालि मैना
In German
Zizka
Carandas
In French
Zizka
karondas
In Spanish
Zizka
karondas
In Greek
Zizka
karondas
In Portuguese
Zizka
karondas
In Polish
Zizka
karondas
In Latin
Žižka
karondas
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Poales
Gentianales
Family
Poaceae
Apocynaceae
Genus
Melinis
Carissa
Clade
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Tribe
Paniceae
-
Subfamily
Panicoideae
-
Number of Species
2210
1
27800
👆🏻