Life Span
Annual and Perennial
Perennial
Type
Shrub
Grass
Origin
Central America, South America
Southwestern United States
Types
Fruit Tree
Muhlenbergia rigens, Muhlenbergia emersleyi
Number of Varieties
25
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Dry areas, Well Drained, Woodlands
Sandy areas
USDA Hardiness Zone
9-117-11
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
-
12 - 1
Sunset Zone
13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Thicket/Colonizing
Clump-Forming
Plant Size
Minimum Height
457.20 cm30.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
243.84 cm60.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Pink
-
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Red
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Light Green, Gray Green
Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Light Green, Gray Green
Light Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Light Green, Gray Green
Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Green
Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Oval
Long linear and narrow
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer
Summer, Fall
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Medium
Medium
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, Early Summer, Summer
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground, Pot
Container, Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Cuttings, Seedlings
Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Low
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Average Water Needs, Do Not over Water, Requires regular watering
Requires watering in the growing season, Water occasionally
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, 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, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
Complete balanced fertilizer, iron-rich fertilizer
fertilize in spring
Pests and Diseases
Aphids, Red blotch, Whiteflies
Red blotch
Plant Tolerance
Wind
Drought, Heat Tolerance
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
Fine
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Bees, Birds, Butterflies, pollinators
Birds, Deers, Insects
Allergy
Pollen
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Beautification, Ground Cover, Landscape Designing, Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
Good for skin
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification, Food for birds, Nesting sites for birds, Windbreak
Food for animals, Nesting sites for birds, Shelter for wildlife
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Antioxidants, Arthritis, Diarrhea, Dysentry, Fertility, Fever, Inflammation, Kidney problems, Urinary tract problems, Vitamin C
Sore throat
Part of Plant Used
Flowers, Fruits, Leaves, Root
Leaves, Root
Other Uses
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for making hedge
Can be made into a herbal tea, Decoration Purposes, Showy Purposes, Used as Ornamental plant
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Rock Garden / Wall, Wildflower
Feature Plant, Foundation, Groundcover, Mixed Border, Wildflower
Botanical Name
Malpighia emarginata
MUHLENBERGIA rigens
Common Name
Barbados cherry, West Indian cherry and wild crepe myrtle
Deer Grass
In Hindi
Acerola Tree
हिरण घास
In German
Acerola Baum
Deer Grass
In French
Acerola Arbre
cerfs Herbe
In Spanish
Árbol de acerola
Ciervo Hierba
In Greek
Acerola Δέντρο
ελάφια Grass
In Portuguese
Árvore acerola
cervos grama
In Polish
Acerola Drzewo
Deer Trawa
In Latin
Acerola ligno
deer Grass
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
-
Anthophyta
Class
-
Liliopsida
Order
Malpighiales
Poales
Family
Malpighiaceae
Poaceae
Genus
Malpighia
Muhlenbergia
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
Paperveroideae
Chloridoideae
Number of Species
-40
1
27800
👆🏻