Life Span
Annual and Perennial
Perennial
Type
Shrub
Fruit, Shrub
Origin
Central America, South America
South America
Types
Fruit Tree
V. × heilbornii
Number of Varieties
20
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Dry areas, Well Drained, Woodlands
Mediterranean region, Subtropical climates, Tropical regions
USDA Hardiness Zone
9-119-11
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
-
11-9
Sunset Zone
13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
H1, 17, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Thicket/Colonizing
Upright/Erect
Plant Size
Minimum Height
457.20 cm180.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
243.84 cm150.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Pink
Yellow green
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Red
Green, Light Yellow, Yellow green
Leaf Color in Spring
Light Green, Gray Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Light Green, Gray Green
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Light Green, Gray Green
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Green
Light Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Oval
Palmate
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Growth Rate
Medium
Fast
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Alkaline
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Spring, Summer
Indeterminate
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground, Pot
Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Cuttings, Seedlings
Vegetative Reproduction
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Average Water Needs, Do Not over Water, Requires regular watering
Requires regular watering
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Alkaline
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Type
Dry, Sandy
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Pruning
In Early Autumn, Prune in winter, Remove branches, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves, Remove dead or diseased plant parts
Remove shoots
Fertilizers
Complete balanced fertilizer, iron-rich fertilizer
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Aphids, Red blotch, Whiteflies
Red blotch
Plant Tolerance
Wind
Drought
Flowers
✔
✘
✔
✘
Flower Petal Number
Single
Single
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Medium
Coarse
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Bees, Birds, Butterflies, pollinators
-
Allergy
Pollen
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
Good for skin
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification, Food for birds, Nesting sites for birds, Windbreak
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Antioxidants, Arthritis, Diarrhea, Dysentry, Fertility, Fever, Inflammation, Kidney problems, Urinary tract problems, Vitamin C
Digestive disorders
Part of Plant Used
Flowers, Fruits, Leaves, Root
Fruits
Other Uses
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for making hedge
Used in making champagne
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Rock Garden / Wall, Wildflower
Container, Edible, Fruit / Fruit Tree, Houseplant, Mixed Border, Tropical
Botanical Name
Malpighia emarginata
VASCONCELLEA x heilbornii
Common Name
Barbados cherry, West Indian cherry and wild crepe myrtle
Babaco, Mountain Papaya
In Hindi
Acerola Tree
Babaco
In German
Acerola Baum
Babaco
In French
Acerola Arbre
Babaco
In Spanish
Árbol de acerola
Babaco
In Greek
Acerola Δέντρο
Babaco
In Portuguese
Árvore acerola
Babaco
In Polish
Acerola Drzewo
Babaco
In Latin
Acerola ligno
Babaco
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
-
Magnoliophyta
Class
-
Magnoliopsida
Order
Malpighiales
Brassicales
Family
Malpighiaceae
Caricaceae
Genus
Malpighia
Vasconcellea
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
Paperveroideae
-
Number of Species
-1
1
27800
👆🏻