Carissa bispinosa
Despite its name, the Forest Num-num occurs in a wide variety of habitats, ranging from savannas and woodlands to forests. It grows mostly as an evergreen shrub, usually multi-stemmed and often scrambling in growth form, or rarely a small tree of up to 5m tall, covered by sharp, forked spines. The Forest Num-num flowers in Spring and Summer and the berries ripen on the tree from March to October.
The fruit of the Forest Num-num is eaten by humans (even as a jam), primates and birds, and the root is used in traditional medicine as a treatment for toothache. It is a beautiful addition to a garden in frost-free areas, attracting lots of insects and birds, and can be used as a hedge.
In South Africa, the Forest Num-num grows from Cape Town all along the southern coast of the Western and Eastern Cape Provinces, throughout Kwazulu-Natal and the eastern Free State, over most of Gauteng, Mpumalanga and Limpopo. Beyond our borders the Forest Num-num grows as far north as Kenya.
DeWetsWild 