Pakistan Gardening Forum

Can anyone identify this berry?
Is it edible?

it is Carissa carandas..for more details visit this link from plant database of our forum.
http://www.gardeningpakistan.com/viewto ... 238#p21174

Yes the kakronda fruits are edible, the black ones are ripe but not worth eating. The semi ripe fruit (which looks like the apple colour) makes a tasty pickle (achaar).

Hamad Ahmed Kisana wrote:it is Carissa carandas..for more details visit this link from plant database of our forum.
http://www.gardeningpakistan.com/viewto ... 238#p21174

I believe it is also known as Karonda? I planted the one in the pictures below as Karonda,which looks much different in shape of leaves/plant & its height from those shown in the Database & in this thread.
Then,it has taken about 4 years to reach this size (hardly 2 ft) & has so far grown an odd flower but no fruit yet,while in the database it is mentioned as a fast grower,fruiting in 1-2 years. How do you reconcile?

Pictures of my plant:

Your plant is Carissa macrocarpa

Munir wrote:I believe it is also known as Karonda? I planted the one in the pictures below as Karonda,which looks much different in shape of leaves/plant & its height from those shown in the Database & in this thread.
Then,it has taken about 4 years to reach this size (hardly 2 ft) & has so far grown an odd flower but no fruit yet,while in the database it is mentioned as a fast grower,fruiting in 1-2 years. How do you reconcile?

Munir sb, I had this plant as well. The fruit of this plant is not edible or good for pickles etc. The "true" kakronda is the one posted in the first post and the flora database. Carissa marcocarpa also exists in the database.

@ Izhar Sb. Thank you for the correct identity of my plant. Whereas as per the internet eg. http://theindianvegan.blogspot.com/2012 ... a.html,the common name of Koranda pertains to Carissa Carandas,in actual fact in our local market Carissa Macrocarpa(one with me) is wrongly called with this name. Do you know its correct common name? Another thing; is it correct that Carissa Carandas is a wild specie,while Carissa Macrocapa is a garden plant?

@ Dr Farooq.I couldn't now locate Carissa Macrocarpa in the Database,though I can also recollect having seen it earlier.Can you give the reference? Also please recheck about the edibility of the fruit,as I think I have read at a number of places that it is edible, eg. http://treesandshrubs.about.com/od/comm ... ocarpa.htm

Brig. Munir sb the link is here for Carissa macrocarpa http://www.gardeningpakistan.com/viewto ... ssa#p21255

Yes you are right, it is edible. I personally did not like the taste. True kakronda is better tasting at least in one or two bites. It is bitter too! The true kakronda produces so many fruits and fragrant white flowers that you will be stunned and bulbuls like to stay in its shady bush.

I think in Urdu, the proper name is Kak-ron-da not Kar-on-da,..but I may be wrong.

Dr. Farooq,I don’t know why Carissa Macrocarpa does not appear in any of the two indices of the Database, though data entry does exist at the link mentioned by you. BTW, the two indices are also mixed up; somebody needs to adjust them.

You didn't quite get my point about the plant name 'Koranda'. Since this name already belongs to Carissa Carandas as per internet, I was asking about the correct common name if any of Carrisa Macrocarpa,for which Koranda has been incorrectly mentioned even in the Forum database & needs to be corrected.

Farooq, please link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carissa_carandas. I stand corrected;the correct word is Karonda, not Koranda.