Apocynaceae

Carissa ovata

CARISSA, CURRANT BUSH

Sprawling shrub to c. 4 m high, or scrambling climber. New growth reddish. Latex milky, present in young stems and petioles when cut or broken. Spines simple or branched, in pairs at nodes between leaf bases, not in leaf axils and not at every node. Buds and young stems sparsely hairy, stems soon becoming hairless; stipules several in axils of leaves, linear, 2–3 mm long.

Leaves simple, opposite; lamina broad-ovate or ± circular, 1–5.5 cm long, 1–4 cm wide, apex acute, base rounded, margins entire, surfaces glossy and hairless or sometimes finely hairy; pinnately veined with 3–8 pairs of lateral veins, distinct on both surfaces; basal glands  absent; petiole 1–3 mm long.

Inflorescences axillary or supra-axillary, congested umbel-like cymes; peduncle to 5 mm long, pedicels to 3 mm long. Flowers bisexual, actinomorphic, 5-merous, white, fragrant; calyx shortly tubular, 2–2.5 mm long; corolla tubular, tube 5–8 mm long, lobes 5,  2–3 mm long, spreading, not twisted, corolline corona absent; stamens inserted on and included in corolla tube, free from style head; gynoecium of 2 fused carpels, ovary superior, style head bifid.

Fruit fleshy, a berry, obovoid to globose, c. 1 cm long, purplish black; seed usually solitary.

Illustration of leaves & fruit

Habitat and Distribution:

In STRf, DRf and VTs and adjacent open forest and woodlands; on the coast, north from Wardell (SW of Ballina), N.S.W., and inland, north from the Narrabri district, N.S.W., to Princess Charlotte Bay (Cape York Peninsula), N Qld, and west to Carnarvon N.P., Qld.

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