Typical of the Apocynaceae family
Carissa carandas
Karonda / Christ's Thorn करौंदा
Hindi name · See all regional names ↓
Also known as Bengal Currants, Jasmine Flowered Carissa
- Habit
- Shrub
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh & more
- Flowering
- March-October
Karonda in regional languages
Find the name you know, then compare it with the botanical profile. Columns list recorded aliases; they are not paired translations. A Latin spelling appears only when it is present in the source record.
| Language | Regional script | Recorded Latin spelling |
|---|---|---|
| Hindi | करौंदा · करोंदा | Karonda, karonda |
| Nepali | करौँदा | Not recorded |
| Bengali | করমচা | Not recorded |
| Tamil | களா | Kalakkai |
| Telugu | వాకకాయ కరొండ · వాకకాయ | Peddakalavi |
| Kannada | ಕವಳಿ ಹೂವು ಕವಳಿ ಹೂವು · ಕವಳ · ಕವಳಿಕಾಯಿ ಕರಿಚೆ | Kavali hoovu, Kavala, Kavalikai Kariche |
| Malayalam | കാര | Karakka, Carissa carandas |
| Marathi | Not recorded | karvand |
See the original recorded names
- Hindi
- Karonda करौंदा, Karonda,करोंदा karonda
- Nepali
- करौँदा
- Bengali
- করমচা
- Tamil
- களா Kalakkai, களா
- Telugu
- Peddakalavi, వాకకాయ (కరొండ), వాకకాయ
- Kannada
- ಕವಳಿ ಹೂವು ಕವಳಿ ಹೂವು Kavali hoovu, ಕವಳ Kavala, ಕವಳಿಕಾಯಿ Kavalikai ಕರಿಚೆ Kariche
- Malayalam
- Karakka, കാര, Carissa carandas
- Marathi
- karvand
Ecology & growing context
- Native status · Kew WCVP
- WCVP native range includes India Kew dataset ↗
Kew WCVP dataset; accepted-name match. Dataset matching is separate from an individual regional review. Recorded worldwide native range: India, SE. Bangladesh.
- Recorded habitat
- Dry forests
- Explore nearby plants
- Maharashtra →Tamil Nadu →Andhra Pradesh →
Occurrence records show where a plant has been recorded; they do not establish that it is native there. Compare local habitat and growing conditions when choosing plants for a garden.
How to identify Karonda
Identify Karonda by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a shrub habit.
- Check the distinctive field mark: Forked spines, edible red-purple berries (karonda).
- Confirm flower colour: White.
- Confirm fruit type: Berry.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: March-October.
- In India, compare location records such as Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan and nearby regions.
- Confirm it sits within the Apocynaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Karonda.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Carissa carandas
- Genus
- Carissa
- Family
- Apocynaceae
- Habit
- Shrub
- Habitat
- Dry forests
- Habitat type
- Forest
- Distribution
- India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Malaysia and widespread by cultivation
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Gujarat, Kerala, Delhi, Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Punjab, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Goa, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh
- Flowering & fruiting
- March-October
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
Typical of the Apocynaceae family — a field-mark hint, not measured for this exact species.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Whiterecorded
- Fruit type
- BerryrecordedA fleshy fruit with seeds embedded directly in the pulp, no central stone.“It produces berry-sized fruits that are commonly used as a condiment in Indian pickles and spices.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
- Inflorescence
- Cyme
- Fruit
- Follicle
Characters marked “recorded” are for Karonda itself; the rest are typical of the Apocynaceae family — flowering plants only.
Karonda in India
This thorny shrub, known as Karonda करौंदा (Hindi), களா Kalakkai (Tamil), Peddakalavi (Telugu), ಕವಳಿ ಹೂವು ಕವಳಿ ಹೂವು Kavali hoovu (Kannada), Karakka (Malayalam), karvand (Marathi), is grown both as a living hedge and for its tart fruit. Carissa carandas is found across Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Gujarat, both wild and cultivated.
Uses
Its tart, unripe green berries are pickled and made into chutney, while the ripe purple-black fruit is eaten fresh or made into jams and syrups; the thorny branches also make it a popular living security hedge.
How to Identify Karonda
A dense, thorny shrub with paired spines and glossy, oval leaves. Milky sap oozes from cut stems. Star-shaped white, fragrant flowers are followed by oval berries that ripen from white-pink through red to a deep purple-black.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Christ's Thorn called in different Indian languages?
- Karonda करौंदा (Hindi); களா Kalakkai (Tamil); Peddakalavi (Telugu); ಕವಳಿ ಹೂವು ಕವಳಿ ಹೂವು Kavali hoovu (Kannada); Karakka (Malayalam); karvand (Marathi); করমচা (Bengali).
- Is karonda eaten unripe or ripe?
- Both — the tart unripe green fruit is pickled and made into chutney, while the sweeter ripe purple-black fruit is eaten fresh or made into jams and syrups.
- Why is it planted as a hedge?
- Its dense, thorny branches make it an effective living security hedge, in addition to producing edible fruit.
Apocynaceae
Dogbane family
Karonda belongs to the Apocynaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Apocynaceae familySnap it. Know it.
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Common plant problems
If you are starting from symptoms instead of a diagnosis, use the plant disease symptom checker to narrow the cause before treating.
All plant problem & care guidesMore in Apocynaceae
View all ApocynaceaeSources: GBIF — Carissa carandas (India distribution & vernacular names) (CC BY 4.0) · Wikipedia — Carissa carandas (background/comprehension only) (CC BY-SA 4.0)