Life Span
Annual and Perennial
Annual and Perennial
Type
Shrub
Shrub
Origin
Central America, South America
Southeastern Asia, India
Types
Fruit Tree
Crossandra, Firecracker Plant
Number of Varieties
250
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Dry areas, Well Drained, Woodlands
gardens, Homesteads, Urban areas
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, Light Yellow, Peach, 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
Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Average Water Needs, Do Not over Water, Requires regular watering
Form a Soil ring to water efficiently, Keep ground moist, Requires watering in the growing season, Water more in summer
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
No pruning needed in the early stages, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves, Remove deadheads
Fertilizers
Complete balanced fertilizer, iron-rich fertilizer
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Aphids, Red blotch, Whiteflies
Insects
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, 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
Cold, Cough, Wounds
Part of Plant Used
Flowers, Fruits, Leaves, Root
Flowers
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
Bedding Plant, Container, Feature Plant, Hedges, Mixed Border, Tropical
Botanical Name
Malpighia emarginata
CROSSANDRA infundibuliformis
Common Name
Barbados cherry, West Indian cherry and wild crepe myrtle
Firecracker Flower
In Hindi
Acerola Tree
आबोली
In German
Acerola Baum
Kracher-Blume
In French
Acerola Arbre
Firecracker fleur
In Spanish
Árbol de acerola
flor petardo
In Greek
Acerola Δέντρο
πυροτέχνημα λουλούδι
In Portuguese
Árvore acerola
flor foguete
In Polish
Acerola Drzewo
petarda kwiat
In Latin
Acerola ligno
flos Firecracker
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
-
-
Class
-
-
Order
Malpighiales
Lamiales
Family
Malpighiaceae
Acanthaceae
Genus
Malpighia
Crossandra
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
Paperveroideae
Brodiaeoideae
Number of Species
-5
1
27800
👆🏻