Carissa macrocarpa
The Natal Plum – also known as the Big Num-num – is an evergreen shrub species that thrives in coastal bush and forests stretching from the district of Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth) in the Eastern Cape to southern Mozambique. Its usual growth form is a densely leafed, spiny shrub up to about 4m high. It is a popular garden plant in frost-free areas as it lends itself perfectly to being trimmed into a hedge, its pure white blossoms smell of citrus flowers and the large fruit are edible in their entirety – it is even used in jams – and extremely rich in vitamin C, magnesium and phosphorous.
Natal Plum (or Large Num-num) flower
Natal Plum / Large Num-num
Natal Plum / Large Num-num
Natal Plum / Large Num-num
Natal Plum / Large Num-num
Natal Plum / Large Num-num
Natal Plum / Large Num-num
Natal Plum / Large Num-num
Natal Plum / Large Num-num
Natal Plum / Large Num-num
DeWetsWild 
Ek onthou hierdie Natal pruime, ons het hulle ook geeet!
Ek kan my indink dat hulle gedy het daar in Eshowe!
O ja, beslis🙂
I can attest from experience that the fruit is delicious! We used to eat them along the South Coast when I was a child and there was a hedge of them at the last school I taught at – a wonderful start to the day. Now my daughter has one growing in her garden and she is horrified when I pluck the ripe fruit. She doesn’t know what she is missing!
Have you ever made a jam of it, Anne?
I have never picked enough to do that.
The plum is pretty and the flowers remind me of jasmine. Just the mention of the scent of citrus blossoms make me look forward to that time of year here. It’s such a wonderful scent.
Is citrus farming big business in the desert, Janet, or do many homeowners have them growing in the garden?
Many of the housing developments used to be citrus orchards and of course, they’re now gone, but lots of people have citrus trees in their yards and many housing area have citrus trees along the streets. Anyone can pick them. The people half a block from us have an enormous lemon tree I their backyard and when the lemons are ripe, they put a table put along the street with bags and bags of lemons for people to take. We plan to put on a lemon tree when we move to our new house (my parents’ former house,’
Amazing!
Proe hy regtig soos ‘n pruim? Het ook maar lekker dorings. Sal nogal help om oortreders uit jou tuin te hou as dit as heining gebruik word.
Nee wat, Ineke, ek dink die vergelyking met n pruim het meer te make met hoe die ryp vrug lyk as hoe hy proe. Dit het n baie eiesoortige smaak.
Ah ha, dit klink logies. Veral toe ek die Num Num sien het ek gewonder of dit Is wat so langs die hoofpad verkoop word as hul ryp is. Dit lyk baie so, kan nou net nie onthou wat dit genoem word in Limpopo nie.
Die wat mens so langs die pad kan koop in Limpopo is gewoonlik maroelas, Ineke.
Maroelas tel mens sommer self op langs die pad. Dis stamvrugte wat hul so in bakkies langs pad verkoop.
Die stamvrugte is so vol goggatjies, ek weet nie of ek daarvan sal koop om te eet nie!
Gelukkig nooit dit van naderby bekyk nie.