TYSON BARNES
FIELD NOTES FROM AFRICA
PHOTOGRAPH № 0003

Natal Plum

A pale green and red fruit growing among glossy leaves and forked thorns in Richards Bay. A pale green and red fruit growing among glossy leaves and forked thorns in Richards Bay.

A fruit growing among dense, glossy foliage in Richards Bay.

At first glance the fruit has something of the appearance of a very small apple: rounded, green-yellow and developing a red blush. The plant itself is rather less accommodating. Among the leaves are conspicuous forked thorns.

Catalogue note

Place: Richards Bay, Zululand, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Date: 13 July 2026
Camera: Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

Identification

Probable identification: Natal plum (Carissa macrocarpa)
Status: Observed; identification to be confirmed

Observation

The fruit was approximately spherical to ovoid, pale green-yellow with irregular red colouring developing across the exposed surface.

The plant carried thick, glossy green leaves and prominent paired or forked thorns.

The combination is consistent with Natal plum, a species native to southern Africa.

Field note

The fruit is edible when ripe, but identification matters when dealing with wild plants. This record therefore preserves the distinction between what was directly observed and the proposed identification.

Its first impression was unexpectedly familiar: something resembling a miniature apple growing from a thoroughly thorny coastal shrub.