Life Span
Annual and Perennial
Perennial
Type
Shrub
Tree
Origin
Central America, South America
Polynesia
Types
Fruit Tree
-
Number of Varieties
280
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Dry areas, Well Drained, Woodlands
Forest edges, gardens, Homesteads
USDA Hardiness Zone
9-1110-15
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
-
12-1
Sunset Zone
13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
H1, H2, 16, 17, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Thicket/Colonizing
Upright/Erect
Plant Size
Minimum Height
457.20 cm760.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
243.84 cm300.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Pink
Yellow, Red, Green
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Red
Blue, Black
Leaf Color in Spring
Light Green, Gray Green
Red, Green, Dark Green, Brown
Leaf Color in Summer
Light Green, Gray Green
Red, Green, Dark Green, Brown
Leaf Color in Fall
Light Green, Gray Green
Red, Green, Dark Green, Brown
Leaf Color in Winter
Green
Red, Green, Dark Green, Brown
Shape
Leaf Shape
Oval
Compound
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Growth Rate
Medium
Medium
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Alkaline
Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Spring, Summer
Indeterminate
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
-
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground, Pot
Ground
How to Plant?
Cuttings, Seedlings
Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Average Water Needs, Do Not over Water, Requires regular watering
Do Not over Water, Keep ground moist
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Alkaline
Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
Dry, Sandy
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
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
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Aphids, Red blotch, Whiteflies
Mites, Nematodes, Scale
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
-
Allergy
Pollen
-
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
Air purification
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
Whole plant
Other Uses
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for making hedge
Used as Ornamental plant
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Rock Garden / Wall, Wildflower
Container, Feature Plant, Hedges, Houseplant, Screening / Wind Break, Topiary / Bonsai / Espalier, Tropical
Botanical Name
Malpighia emarginata
Plerandra elegantissima
Common Name
Barbados cherry, West Indian cherry and wild crepe myrtle
False Aralia
In Hindi
Acerola Tree
Aralia
In German
Acerola Baum
falsch Aralia
In French
Acerola Arbre
faux Aralia
In Spanish
Árbol de acerola
Falso Aralia
In Greek
Acerola Δέντρο
Λάθος Aralia
In Portuguese
Árvore acerola
Aralia false
In Polish
Acerola Drzewo
fałsz Aralia
In Latin
Acerola ligno
falsum Aralia
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
-
-
Class
-
Magnoliopsida
Order
Malpighiales
Apiales
Family
Malpighiaceae
Araliaceae
Genus
Malpighia
Plerandra
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
Paperveroideae
-
Number of Species
-1
1
27800
👆🏻