Carissa Holly is a compact, dense evergreen shrub with small, glossy, dark green leaves, each with a single terminal spine. The some what-showy clusters of fragrant, springtime, white flowers are followed in fall and winter by some bright red berries. However, the berry display is mostly inferior to Ilex cornuta ‘Burfordii’. The shrub stays small, eventually growing to about 6 feet. Most Carissa Holly plants are kept smaller than this. The plant occasionally reverts back to a ‘Rotunda’ Holly leaf form, a plant to which it is closely related. ‘Rotunda’ has many spines along the margins of the leaf.