Karanda (Carissa carandas)
Description
Carissa carandas is a species of flowering shrub in the dogbane family Apocynaceae. It produces berry-sized fruits that are commonly used as a condiment in Indian pickles and spices. It is a hardy, drought-tolerant plant that thrives well in a wide range of soils. Common names in English include Bengal currant, Christ's thorn, carandas plum and karanda. The supposed varieties congesta and paucinervia actually refer to the related conkerberry (C. spinarum). Carissa carandas grows naturally in the Himalayas at elevations of 30 to 1,800 metres (98 to 5,906 ft), in the Siwalik Hills, the Western Ghats and in Nepal and Afghanistan and Bangladesh. It flourishes well in regions with high temperatures. In India it is grown on a limited scale in Konkan area of Maharashtra, Goa, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Bihar, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh. It is also grows in the Sri Lanka lowland rain forests. The plant is grown from seed sown in August and September. Vegetative propagation also is practiced in the form of budding and inarching. Cuttings may also succeed. The first monsoon shower is planting time. Plants raised from seed start bearing two years after planting. Flowering starts in March and in Northern India the fruit ripens from July to September.
Taxonomic tree
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Domain: Eukarya
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Kingdom: Plantae
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Phylum:
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Class: Magnoliopsida
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Order: Gentianales
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Family: Apocynaceae
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Genus: Carissa
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