Life Span
Annual and Perennial
Annual
Type
Shrub
Vegetable
Origin
Central America, South America
Central America, Mexico
Types
Fruit Tree
Slicing, Pickling and burpless
Number of Varieties
23
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Dry areas, Well Drained, Woodlands
Floodplains, Wet forest
USDA Hardiness Zone
9-117-8
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
-
12-1
Sunset Zone
13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
A3, H1, H2, 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Thicket/Colonizing
Vining/Climbing
Plant Size
Minimum Height
457.20 cm15.20 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
243.84 cm180.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Pink
Yellow, Gold
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Red
Green
Leaf Color in Spring
Light Green, Gray Green
Light Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Light Green, Gray Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Light Green, Gray Green
Green, Dark Green, Yellow green
Leaf Color in Winter
Green
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Oval
Heart-shaped
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer
Summer, Fall
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Medium
Very Fast
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loam
The pH of Soil
Alkaline
Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Spring, Summer
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall, Indeterminate
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground, Pot
Container, Ground
How to Plant?
Cuttings, Seedlings
Seedlings, Stem Planting
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Average Water Needs, Do Not over Water, Requires regular watering
Keep ground moist, Requires a lot of watering, Requires regular watering, Requires watering in the growing season
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Alkaline
Neutral
Soil Type
Dry, Sandy
Loam
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Pruning
In Early Autumn, Prune in winter, Remove branches, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves, Remove dead or diseased plant parts
Prune after flowering, Remove shoots
Fertilizers
Complete balanced fertilizer, iron-rich fertilizer
Compost, organic fertlizers
Pests and Diseases
Aphids, Red blotch, Whiteflies
Bacteria wilt, Fungal Diseases, fungus, Fusarium wilt, Leaf spot, Striped cucumber beetles
Plant Tolerance
Wind
Cold climate
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
Ants, Birds, Flying insects, Insects, Rats, Squirrels
Allergy
Pollen
Throat itching, Vomiting
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
Food for animals, Food for birds
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Antioxidants, Arthritis, Diarrhea, Dysentry, Fertility, Fever, Inflammation, Kidney problems, Urinary tract problems, Vitamin C
Antioxidants, Combats Stress, Fiber, Improve heart health, Indigestion, Inflammation, Rich in Iron
Part of Plant Used
Flowers, Fruits, Leaves, Root
Fruits, Seeds
Other Uses
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for making hedge
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for its medicinal properties
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Rock Garden / Wall, Wildflower
Edible, Herb / Vegetable, Vine
Botanical Name
Malpighia emarginata
MELOTHRIA scabra
Common Name
Barbados cherry, West Indian cherry and wild crepe myrtle
Mexican Sour Gherkins, cucamelon
In Hindi
Acerola Tree
Mousemelon
In German
Acerola Baum
Maus Melone
In French
Acerola Arbre
Mousemelon
In Spanish
Árbol de acerola
Mousemelon
In Greek
Acerola Δέντρο
πεπόνι ποντίκι
In Portuguese
Árvore acerola
melão rato
In Polish
Acerola Drzewo
mysz melona
In Latin
Acerola ligno
mouse melon
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
-
Tracheophyta
Class
-
Magnoliopsida
Order
Malpighiales
Cucurbitales
Family
Malpighiaceae
Cucurbitaceae
Genus
Malpighia
Cucumis
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
-
Melothrieae
Subfamily
Paperveroideae
Cucurbitoideae
Number of Species
-50
1
27800
👆🏻