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Currant Bush Conkerberry Kunkerberry Carissa Spinarum Ovata Seeds
Packet of 20+ freshly harvested seeds!
This hardly little bush is really widespread in Australia, and there is a huge variation in forms.
Originally they were all classed as different plants, but now we consider them all the same plant, Carissa spinarum, at least on a national level.
Confusingly the states of Queensland, New South Wales and Western Australia strongly disagree with this classification, and they consider them all to be Carissa ovata…
The rest of the world has known them as heaps of different things including Antura edulis, Antura hadiensis, Arduina brownii, Arduina campenonii, Arduina edulis, Arduina inermis, Arduina laxiflora, Arduina xylopicron, Azima pubescens, C. edulis var. septentrionalis, Cabucala brachyantha, Carandas edulis, Carissa abyssinica, Carissa africana, Carissa axillaris, Carissa brownii, Carissa brownii var. angustifolia, Carissa campenonii, Carissa candolleana, Carissa carandas, Carissa carandas var. congesta, Carissa carandas var. paucinervia, Carissa cochinchinensis, Carissa comorensis, Carissa congesta, Carissa coriacea, Carissa cornifolia, Carissa dalzellii, Carissa densiflora, Carissa densiflora var. microphylla, Carissa diffusa, Carissa dulcis, Carissa edulis, Carissa edulis f. nummularis, Carissa edulis f. pubescens, Carissa edulis f. revoluta, Carissa edulis subsp. continentalis, Carissa edulis subsp. madagascariensis, Carissa edulis var. ambungana, Carissa edulis var. comorensis, Carissa edulis var. densiflora, Carissa edulis var. edulis, Carissa edulis var. horrida, Carissa edulis var. lucubea, Carissa edulis var. major, Carissa edulis var. microphylla, Carissa edulis var. nummularis, Carissa edulis var. revoluta, Carissa edulis var. sechellensis, Carissa edulis var. septentrionalis, Carissa edulis var. subtrinervia, Carissa gangetica, Carissa hirsuta, Carissa horrida, Carissa inermis, Carissa lanceolata, Carissa laotica, Carissa laotica var. ferruginea, Carissa laxiflora, Carissa macrophylla, Carissa madagascariensis, Carissa mitis, Carissa obovata, Carissa oleoides, Carissa opaca, Carissa ovata, Carissa ovata var. pubescens, Carissa ovata var. stolonifera, Carissa papuana, Carissa paucinervia, Carissa pilosa, Carissa pubescens, Carissa revoluta, Carissa richardiana, Carissa scabra, Carissa sechellensis, Carissa septentrionalis, Carissa spinarum, Carissa stolonifera, Carissa suavissima, Carissa tomentosa, Carissa villosa, Carissa xylopicron, Carissa yunnanensis, Chapelieria madagascariensis, Damnacanthus esquirolii, Jasminonerium densiflorum, Jasminonerium dulce, Jasminonerium edule, Jasminonerium inerme, Jasminonerium laxiflorum, Jasminonerium madagascariense, Jasminonerium ovatum, Jasminonerium pubescens, Jasminonerium sechellense, Jasminonerium suavissimum, Jasminonerium tomentosum, Jasminonerium xylopicron and Strychnos pungens.
Bloody confusing hey!
It has a heap of common names too and these are some of then.
Anwekety, blackberry, black currant, burrum, bush konkberry, carrisse, cherumully, chirukila, conkerberry, currant bush, jungli karonda, karamdika, karvand, kavali, kunkerberry, merne arrankweye, mudyabveni, mudzambara, muhlababzunzi, mully, mumbingwa, muruguru, mutsamviringa, native currant, nganango, num-num bush, num num, simple-spined num-num, umlugulu, wild karanda, and wild karavanda.
Lots of names, and found in lots of places, Africa, India, Asia, and all throughout the Indian Ocean, but everyone admits they taste pretty awesome!
Apparently the plant is even used medicinally for joint and muscle pain by the Maasai people of Kenya.
Not sure how, if you know I would love to find out.
Only eat them when they are fully ripe looking just like a medium size black olive.
A little soft and kinda wrinkly when squeezed is best and if there is any white sap still it means you picked it way too early.
Like most things don’t eat them green or when the white sap is still flowing freely or you will get crook.
Unique sweet, sticky flavour, I guess sultana or currant is close, but it’s pretty unique.
Best way to describe it is just delicious, it doesn’t really fit any other category.
Very easy to grow hardy little bush, birds love the fruit so you might want to net them.
Everything from forest doves to parrots and even emus eat them!
No fruit fly or insect pest issues, at least not that I have ever noticed.
Fantastic little native bush, edible and tasty fruit, doesn’t need any real care.
Frost and drought tolerant.
Germination is very reliable, but it takes three months on average and the first fruit start coming in about two years after planting.
The third year onwards crops are massive!
Wild harvested and home grown organically by me and the Mrs, no chems, no nasties, no problems!!!
