Carissa carandas is a species of flowering shrub in the dogbane family, Apocynaceae. It produces berry-sized fruitsphoto that are commonly used as a condiment or additive to Indian pickles and spices. It is a very hardy, drought-tolerant plant that thrives well in a wide range of soils. Common names include Karonda (Devanagari: करोंदा), Vakkay in Telugu, Kalakai in Tamil, Karau(n)da, Karanda or some times Karamda.
The supposed varieties congesta and paucinervia actually refer to the related Conkerberry (C. spinarum).
The karonda fruit is a rich source of iron and contains a fair amount of Vitamin C. It is antiscorbutic and very useful for cure of anaemia. Mature fruit contains high amount of pectin and, therefore, besides being used for making pickle, it can be exploited for making jelly, jam, squash, syrup and chutney. Ripe fruits exude a white latex when severed from the branch.
The roots of the plant are heavily branched and make it suitable for stabilising eroding slopes.
The supposed varieties congesta and paucinervia actually refer to the related Conkerberry (C. spinarum).
The karonda fruit is a rich source of iron and contains a fair amount of Vitamin C. It is antiscorbutic and very useful for cure of anaemia. Mature fruit contains high amount of pectin and, therefore, besides being used for making pickle, it can be exploited for making jelly, jam, squash, syrup and chutney. Ripe fruits exude a white latex when severed from the branch.
The roots of the plant are heavily branched and make it suitable for stabilising eroding slopes.
