Life Span
Annual and Perennial
Perennial
Type
Shrub
Flowering Plants, Herbs
Origin
Central America, South America
-
Types
Fruit Tree
-
Number of Varieties
22
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Dry areas, Well Drained, Woodlands
moist forests, Mountains
USDA Hardiness Zone
9-114-9
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
-
9-2
Sunset Zone
13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20
Habit
Thicket/Colonizing
Clump-Forming
Plant Size
Minimum Height
457.20 cm38.10 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
243.84 cm25.40 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Pink
Purple, Pink, Lavender
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Red
Brown
Leaf Color in Spring
Light Green, Gray Green
Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Light Green, Gray Green
Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Light Green, Gray Green
Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Green
Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Oval
Pinnate
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer
Spring, Summer
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Medium
Fast
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Clay, Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Alkaline
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Spring, Summer
Late Spring, Summer
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought, Salt
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground, Pot
Ground
How to Plant?
Cuttings, Seedlings
Cuttings, Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Average Water Needs, Do Not over Water, Requires regular watering
Needs very little water
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Alkaline
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
Dry, Sandy
Clay, Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Full 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
cut main trunk every 5 years, Prune after flowering, Prune central stem, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
Complete balanced fertilizer, iron-rich fertilizer
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, Apply 5-10-5 amounts, Compost
Pests and Diseases
Aphids, Red blotch, Whiteflies
Nematodes, Red blotch, Trunk Rot
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
Medium
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Bees, Birds, Butterflies, pollinators
Butterflies, Leaf Hoppers
Allergy
Pollen
Itchiness, Sore Throat
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Beautification
Beauty Benefits
Good for skin
Anti-ageing, Good Cleanser, Remove blemishes, Removes pimples
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification, Food for birds, Nesting sites for birds, Windbreak
Air purification, Food for animals, Food for birds, soil stabilisation
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Antioxidants, Arthritis, Diarrhea, Dysentry, Fertility, Fever, Inflammation, Kidney problems, Urinary tract problems, Vitamin C
Cough, Haemorrhages, Laxative, Obesity, Tonic
Part of Plant Used
Flowers, Fruits, Leaves, Root
Fruits, Leaves
Other Uses
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for making hedge
Added to salads, Can be boiled and seasoned, pickled, Culinary use
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Rock Garden / Wall, Wildflower
Container, Cutflower, Mixed Border, Rock Garden / Wall, Wildflower
Botanical Name
Malpighia emarginata
Averrhoa bilimbi
Common Name
Barbados cherry, West Indian cherry and wild crepe myrtle
Bilimbi, Mimbro
In Hindi
Acerola Tree
Bilimbi
In German
Acerola Baum
bilimbi
In French
Acerola Arbre
bilimbi
In Spanish
Árbol de acerola
bilimbi
In Greek
Acerola Δέντρο
bilimbi
In Portuguese
Árvore acerola
bilimbi
In Polish
Acerola Drzewo
bilimbi
In Latin
Acerola ligno
Rondo Beardtongue
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
-
Magnoliophyta
Class
-
Magnoliopsida
Order
Malpighiales
Oxalidales
Family
Malpighiaceae
Oxalidaceae
Genus
Malpighia
Averrhoa
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
Paperveroideae
-
Number of Species
-12
1
27800
👆🏻