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Don't let the size fool you, this is a plant that fights for its space. Densely twiggy and armed with sharp, forked spines (the "bispinosa" in its name literally means two-spined), it grows into a thicket of glossy, dark green leaves that's as much fortress as it is garden feature. Then, from late winter into summer, it softens: clusters of small, star-shaped white flowers open with a scent reminiscent of jasmine, drawing in butterflies, bees and birds. The flowers ripen into shiny, oval berries that blush from green to a deep scarlet; sweet, faintly tart, and a firm favourite with birds, monkeys and anyone who's ever gone hunting for a snack in the bushveld.
That last habit is baked into the plant's name, "num-num" is thought to either come from a Khoisan word or simply be onomatopoeia, the sound of pure enjoyment at that first bite of ripe fruit. It carries a whole catalogue of names across South Africa's languages — umVusankunzi, isiBethankunzi, Bosnoemnoem — a sign of just how familiar this little plant is to communities across the country. Beyond snacking, its bitter bark has a long history in traditional medicine, and its vicious thorns have made it a favourite living security hedge for generations of gardeners.
Plant it anywhere from full sun to fairly deep shade, which is unusual and makes it one of the most useful plants on this list. Expect the best fruiting in sun, though it grows perfectly well as understorey beneath established trees. Water moderately while young, then only occasionally, since it is drought tolerant once settled and copes with coastal wind and light frost. Work compost into sand or clay before planting and make sure the ground drains. Clip it hard at any time of year, which is the key to using it well: left alone it becomes a loose spiny shrub, while a clipped plant becomes a dense formal hedge. Put it along a boundary or under a window if you want a genuine security barrier, since the paired spines are serious. Use it in containers, small urban gardens and shaded corners where little else will grow, but do not rely on it as a windbreak on its own.
We plant Forest Num-num across several of our Landscape Restoration sites, Mistbelt, Heartland, the Garden Route Botanical Garden Forest Plot, and Khoinania, as a dense, spiny understorey species, valued as much for its wildlife benefit as its usefulness as a natural, thorny barrier along site boundaries. It's also planted in some of our Urban Greening work along the Garden Route, where its edible fruit, low maintenance, and hedge-forming habit make it a genuinely useful, food-producing addition to community green spaces.
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