Life Span
Annual and Perennial
Perennial
Type
Shrub
Shrub
Origin
Central America, South America
Southeastern Asia, India
Types
Fruit Tree
Orange, Dark Red (Ratan aboli), Yellow, Delhi Crossandra , Arka Ambara, Arka Kanaka (IIHR varieties)
Number of Varieties
26
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Dry areas, Well Drained, Woodlands
Screen Cottage and Informal Garden, Urban areas, Wild
USDA Hardiness Zone
9-1110-15
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
-
10-9
Sunset Zone
13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
H1, H2, 24
Habit
Thicket/Colonizing
Upright/Erect
Plant Size
Minimum Height
457.20 cm40.60 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
243.84 cm25.40 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Pink
Orange, Orange Red
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
-
Fruit Color
Red
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Light Green, Gray Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Light Green, Gray Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Light Green, Gray Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Green
Green, Dark Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Oval
Ovate
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Medium
Medium
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loam
The pH of Soil
Alkaline
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Average
Bloom Time
Spring, Summer
Indeterminate
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
-
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground, Pot
Ground, Pot
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
Water daily during growing season
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
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Average
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
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead flowers, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
Complete balanced fertilizer, iron-rich fertilizer
Balanced 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
Medium
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Bees, Birds, Butterflies, pollinators
Hummingbirds, Butterflies
Allergy
Pollen
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Beautification, Bouquets, Cottage Garden, Ground Cover, Hanging Basket, Landscape Designing, Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
Good for skin
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification, Food for birds, Nesting sites for birds, Windbreak
Agroforestry
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Antioxidants, Arthritis, Diarrhea, Dysentry, Fertility, Fever, Inflammation, Kidney problems, Urinary tract problems, Vitamin C
Antibacterial, Aphrodisiac, Bronchitis, Cough, Liver problems, Menstrual Disorders
Part of Plant Used
Flowers, Fruits, Leaves, Root
Flowers, Leaves
Other Uses
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for making hedge
Basketary, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for its medicinal properties
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Rock Garden / Wall, Wildflower
Container, Cutflower, Hedges, Tropical
Botanical Name
Malpighia emarginata
CROSSANDRA infundibuliformis
Common Name
Barbados cherry, West Indian cherry and wild crepe myrtle
Crossandra, firecracker flower
In Hindi
Acerola Tree
Crossandra
In German
Acerola Baum
Crossandra
In French
Acerola Arbre
Crossandra
In Spanish
Árbol de acerola
Crossandra
In Greek
Acerola Δέντρο
Crossandra
In Portuguese
Árvore acerola
Crossandra
In Polish
Acerola Drzewo
Crossandra
In Latin
Acerola ligno
Crossandra
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
-
Magnoliophyta
Class
-
Magnoliopsida
Order
Malpighiales
Scrophulariales
Family
Malpighiaceae
Acanthaceae
Genus
Malpighia
Crossandra
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
Paperveroideae
-
Number of Species
-52
1
27800
👆🏻