The evergreen, pointed leaves of Carissa haematocarpa have entire, hard margins. Sometimes hairy, the leaves tend to be shiny. There may be a bristle-tip present on the leaf. The petiole becomes up to 3 mm long. The leaves are opposite and have no stipules or the spines are in their place (Coates Palgrave, 2002; Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2010).