Life Span
Annual and Perennial
Annual
Type
Shrub
Tender Perennial
Origin
Central America, South America
Madagascar
Types
Fruit Tree
-
Number of Varieties
250
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Dry areas, Well Drained, Woodlands
subtropical regions, Tropical areas
USDA Hardiness Zone
9-119-15
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
-
12-1
Sunset Zone
13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
A1, A2, A3, H1, H2, 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Thicket/Colonizing
Oval or Rounded
Plant Size
Minimum Height
457.20 cm25.40 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
243.84 cm15.20 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Pink
Red, Pink, Peach
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
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
Fast
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Clay, Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Alkaline
Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Spring, Summer
Indeterminate
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Pollution, Drought, Salt
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
Do not water excessively, Needs less watering, Needs small amount of water
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
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
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
aster yellow, Leaf spot, Red blotch, Root rot, Slugs, Snails, Stem rot
Plant Tolerance
Wind
Drought, Pollution, Salt
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
Butterflies
Allergy
Pollen
Toxic if not prepared properly
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Beautification, Borders, Decorating walls, Ground Cover, Hanging Basket, Used for decorating walls, fences, gates, hedges, etc.
Beauty Benefits
Good for skin
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification, Food for birds, Nesting sites for birds, Windbreak
Air purification, Food for animals, Food for birds
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Antioxidants, Arthritis, Diarrhea, Dysentry, Fertility, Fever, Inflammation, Kidney problems, Urinary tract problems, Vitamin C
Cancer, Diabetes, Hodgkin's lymphoma., Leukemia, Sore throat
Part of Plant Used
Flowers, Fruits, Leaves, Root
Flowering Tips, Leaves, stalk
Other Uses
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for making hedge
Decoration Purposes, Showy Purposes, Traditional medicine, Use in Chinese herbology
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Rock Garden / Wall, Wildflower
Bedding Plant, Container, Hanging Basket, Mixed Border, Tropical
Botanical Name
Malpighia emarginata
CATHARANTHUS roseus
Common Name
Barbados cherry, West Indian cherry and wild crepe myrtle
Cooler Apricot Vinca, Madagascar Periwinkle, Vinca
In Hindi
Acerola Tree
Vinca
In German
Acerola Baum
Rosafarbene Catharanthe
In French
Acerola Arbre
Pervenche de Madagascar
In Spanish
Árbol de acerola
Catharanthus roseus
In Greek
Acerola Δέντρο
Catharanthus roseus
In Portuguese
Árvore acerola
Catharanthus roseus
In Polish
Acerola Drzewo
Katarantus różowy
In Latin
Acerola ligno
Catharanthus roseus
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
-
Tracheophyta
Class
-
Magnoliopsida
Order
Malpighiales
Gentianales
Family
Malpighiaceae
Apocynaceae
Genus
Malpighia
Catharanthus
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Tribe
-
Vicieae
Subfamily
Paperveroideae
Rauvolfioideae
Number of Species
-8
1
27800
👆🏻