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Malpighia emarginata
Also called Acerola, West Indian cherry, Wild crapemyrtle, Cherry, Shuree, Surinam Cherry
Barbados cherry is a fruiting shrub or small tree native to the Caribbean and northern South America, grown for its vitamin C rich cherry-like fruit. Give it full sun, warmth and well-drained soil, and protect it from frost.
Malpighia emarginata is a tropical fruit-bearing shrub or small tree in the family Malpighiaceae native to the Neotropics. The fruit is notable for its exceptional richness in vitamin C and versatility in various food preparations.
Malpighia emarginata is originally native to the Lesser Antilles islands of the southern Caribbean Sea, extending into South America as far south as Brazil. It has been introduced and even naturalized elsewhere in the neotropics, such as in Peru, Venezuela, and Ecuador, as well as the southernmost parts of the contiguous United States (southern Florida and the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas). In Florida, it can be grown in protected locations as far north as Cape Canaveral. It is cultivated in the tropics and subtropics throughout the world from southern Europe to parts of Africa, India, and Australia.
Acerola fruit is 91% water, 8% carbohydrates, and contains negligible protein and fat (table). In a reference amount of 100 g (3.5 oz), acerola supplies 32 calories, and is a rich source of manganese, and particularly vitamin C at some 20 times the Daily Value (DV), with other micronutrients at uniformly low levels (table).
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Malpighia emarginata by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
