Life Span
Annual and Perennial
Annual
Type
Shrub
Shrub
Origin
Central America, South America
Southern Africa
Types
Fruit Tree
Carissa bispinosa, Carissa carandas
Number of Varieties
220
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Dry areas, Well Drained, Woodlands
Coastal Regions, Tropical regions
USDA Hardiness Zone
9-119-11
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
-
12-9
Sunset Zone
13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
H2, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Thicket/Colonizing
Cushion/Mound-forming
Plant Size
Minimum Height
457.20 cm90.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
243.84 cm60.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Pink
White
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
-
Fruit Color
Red
Light Red
Leaf Color in Spring
Light Green, Gray 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
Dark Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Oval
Elliptic and Ovate
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Medium
Slow
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
Shade areas
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground, Pot
Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Cuttings, Seedlings
Seedlings, Stem Planting, Vegetative Reproduction
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Low
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Average Water Needs, Do Not over Water, Requires regular watering
Average Water Needs, Do Not over Water, Never Over-water, Requires regular watering, Water daily during growing season, Water when top layer of soil becomes dry
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
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 if you want to improve plant shape, Prune to control growth, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves, Remove dead or diseased plant parts
Fertilizers
Complete balanced fertilizer, iron-rich fertilizer
fertilize in growing season, Nitrogen, Phosphorous, Potassium
Pests and Diseases
Aphids, Red blotch, Whiteflies
Insects, Red blotch, Scale, Spider mites, Thripes, Whiteflies
Plant Tolerance
Wind
Shade areas
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
Birds
Allergy
Pollen
Toxic
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Beautification, Bonsai, Cottage Garden, Landscape Designing, Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
Good for skin
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification, Food for birds, Nesting sites for birds, Windbreak
Air purification, Food for insects, Prevent Soil Erosion
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Antioxidants, Arthritis, Diarrhea, Dysentry, Fertility, Fever, Inflammation, Kidney problems, Urinary tract problems, Vitamin C
-
Part of Plant Used
Flowers, Fruits, Leaves, Root
Flowers, Fruits
Other Uses
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for making hedge
Decoration Purposes, Showy Purposes, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for its medicinal properties
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Rock Garden / Wall, Wildflower
Bedding Plant, Container, Edging, Edible, Foundation, Groundcover, Hedges, Topiary, Bonsai, Espalier, Tropical
Botanical Name
Malpighia emarginata
CARISSA macrocarpa
Common Name
Barbados cherry, West Indian cherry and wild crepe myrtle
Carissia
In Hindi
Acerola Tree
Carissa
In German
Acerola Baum
carissa
In French
Acerola Arbre
carissa
In Spanish
Árbol de acerola
carissa
In Greek
Acerola Δέντρο
carissa
In Portuguese
Árvore acerola
carissa
In Polish
Acerola Drzewo
carissa
In Latin
Acerola ligno
carissa
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
-
Magnoliophyta
Class
-
Magnoliopsida
Order
Malpighiales
Gentianales
Family
Malpighiaceae
Apocynaceae
Genus
Malpighia
Carissa
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Tribe
-
Carisseae
Subfamily
Paperveroideae
Rauvolfioideae
Number of Species
-100
1
27800
👆🏻