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Plantidote of the Day 2012-06-19 UPDATED!!

twig's picture
Submitted by twig on Tue, 06/19/2012 - 7:30am
Tags: 
white
plantidote
fragrant
Carissa macrocarpa
natal plum

natal plum

Carissa macrocarpa

Natal plum

(see last comment for more details on this plant)

This has to be the simplest little flower ever -- there are so few details, it almost looks fake. But I can assure you it isn't. It's roughly the size of a quarter and growing on a gnarly old shrub type plant, about four feet high and studded with thorns. And it has an odd pink/red fruit, about the size of a large grape, which you can see below the fold.

?

The flower smells a lot like a gardenia, a rich, perfumey scent. The plant seems to be struggling and I'm not sure what it needs to do better. Identifying it would be a good start. Anyone recognize this plant?

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Comments

RTFMplease's picture
Submitted by RTFMplease on

similar to star jasmine

insanelysane's picture
Submitted by insanelysane on

I can almost smell it from here. I believe that is stephanotis floribunda.

The leaves are very thick with round tips. Smells like heaven.

insanelysane's picture
Submitted by insanelysane on

Now, I'm not sure because you mentioned thorns and I am pretty sure Stephanotis is thornless.

jerztomato's picture
Submitted by jerztomato on

AKA: mock orange, orange jassamine, or Alahe'e haoli. Fits the description, but it's a guess.

twig's picture
Submitted by twig on

with all the various plants in the comments, I kept refining search terms and finally found this: Carissa macrocarpa or Natal plum.

If you look beneath the main image on the page above, there are others, including the thorns and fruit, which is apparently edible. My garden book says the fruit taste like sweet cranberries! It also describes the flowers as "almost as fragrant as star jasmine and of same 5-petaled star shape but larger."

It's supposed to be planted where it gets southern light, but it's on the north side of the house. That may be why it's not doing very well -- not much light, plus it's from the original owner, so it must be at least 20 years old.

Anyway, thanks, everyone! Hat tips all around!! I had pretty much given up ever figuring this one out.

Turlock