Carissa opaca
Stapf ex Haines
Karonda
Wikimedia Commons - Franz Xaver
Wikimedia Commons - J.M.Garg
What to Eat
Edible parts: Fruit, Leaves, Roots
The ripe fruit is eaten raw and made into jams, while unripe fruit is used for pickles. The fruit is particularly popular among children.
Where to Find It
A tropical plant. It grows in the drier parts of India and Pakistan. It grows up into the Himalayas to 2,000 m above sea level.
Asia, Himalayas, India, Myanmar, NW India, Pakistan, SE Asia, Sri Lanka,
How to Identify
A shrub. It grows 3.5 m high. It keeps its leaves throughout the year. There are spines about 3 cm long. They can be straight or divided. The young shoots have milky sap. The leaves are opposite and oval or rounded. They are 1.5 cm long by 2 cm wide. Usually flowers are in threes. The fruit is an oval berry. It is 6-8 mm long. It is dark purple when ripe. It is juicy and edible.
How to Grow
Plants can be grown from seed or cuttings.
Production
In Jammu & Kashmir plants flower and fruit June to December.
Other Information
The fruit are eaten especially by children.
Notes
There about 20-37 Carissa species. All Carissa species bear edible fruit. They grow in the tropics and subtropics.
Names & Synonyms
Gan, Garanda, Garna, Garnoin, Garnu, Karaunda, Karaunj, Karonda, Khirokoli
References (19)
- Abbasi, A. M., Khan, M & Zafar, M., 2013, Ethno-medicinal assessment of some selected wild edible fruits and vegetables of Lesser-Himalayas, Pakistan. Pak. J. Bot. 45 (SI):215-222
- Dobriyal, M. J. R. & Dobriyal, R., 2014, Non Wood Forest Produce an Option for Ethnic Food and Nutritional Security in India. Int. J. of Usuf. Mngt. 15(1):17-37
- Flora of Pakistan. www.eFloras.org
- GUPTA
- Indian forester 47:378. 1921
- Kala, C. P., 2007, Prioritization of cultivated and wild edibles by local people in the Uttaranchal hills of Indian Himalaya. Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge. 6(1) pp 239-244
- Khan, M. & Hussain, S., 2014, Diversity of wild edible plants and flowering phenology of district Poonch (J & K) in the northwest Himalaya. Indian Journal of Sci, Res. 9(1): 032-038
- Kumar, R. & Saikia, P., 2020, Wild edible plants of Jharkhand and their utilitarian perspectives. Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge Vol 19 (2), April 2020, pp 237-250
- Maheshwari, J.K., & Singh, J.P., 1984, Contribution to the Ethnobotany of Bhoxa Tribe of Bijnor and Pauri Garhwal Districts, U.P. J. Econ. Tax. Bot. Vol.5. No.2 pp 253-
- Masoodi, H. U. R. & Sundriyal, R. C., 2020, Richness of non-timber forest products in Himalayan communities—diversity, distribution, use pattern and conservation status. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine 16:56
- Mehta, P. S. et al, 2010, Native plant genetic resources and traditional foods of Uttarakhand Himalaya for sustainable food security and livelihood. Indian Journal or Natural products and Resources. Vol 1(1), March 2010 pp 89-96
- Mishra, S. & Chaudhury, S. S., 2012, Ethnobotanical flora used by four major tribes of Koraput, Odisha, India. Genetic Resources Crop Evolution 59:793-804
- Pandy, R. K. & Saini, S. K., 2007, Edible plants of tropical forests among tribal communities of Madhya Pradesh. Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge. 6(1), pp 185-190
- Reis, S. V. and Lipp, F. L., 1982, New Plant Sources for Drugs and Foods from the New York Botanical Garden herbarium. Harvard. p 241
- Sharma, P., et al, 2013, Wild edibles of Murari Devi and surrounding areas in Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh, India. International Journal of Biodiversity and Conservation. Vol. 5(9), pp. 580-592, September 2013
- Tiwari, J. K., et al, 2010, Some Promising Wild Edible Plants of Srinagar and its Adjacent Area in Alaknanda Valley of Garhwal Himalaya, India. Journal of American Science 6(4) p 167ff
- Upreti, K., et al, 2010, Diversity and Distribution of Wild Edible Fruit Plants of Uttarakhand. Bioversity Potentials of the Himalaya. p 165
- Wild edible plants of Himachal Pradesh
- Zereen, A., et al, 2013, Ethnobotanical Studies of Wild Herbs of Central Punjab, Pakistan. Bangladesh J. Plant Taxon 20(1): 67-76
