Life Span
Annual and Perennial
Perennial
Type
Shrub
Tree
Origin
Central America, South America
Mid-Atlantic United States, Southeastern United States, Central United States, South-Central United States
Types
Fruit Tree
-
Number of Varieties
23
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Dry areas, Well Drained, Woodlands
bottomlands, Depression on prairies, ditches, Floodplains, Riverbanks, stream banks, Swamps
USDA Hardiness Zone
9-114-9
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
-
9-1
Sunset Zone
13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
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 cm1,220.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
243.84 cm1,220.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Pink
Yellow, Brown
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Red
Black
Leaf Color in Spring
Light Green, Gray Green
Green, Light Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Light Green, Gray Green
Green, Light Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Light Green, Gray Green
Yellow, Light Yellow, Tan
Leaf Color in Winter
Green
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Oval
Oval with a pointed tip and fine teeth along their edges
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
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Average
Bloom Time
Spring, Summer
Spring
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Wet Site, Pollution, Soil Compaction
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground, Pot
Ground
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 a lot of watering, Requires regular watering
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
Clay, Loam, Sand
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
Prune in the late winter or spring, Remove dead or diseased plant parts, Shape and thin as needed
Fertilizers
Complete balanced fertilizer, iron-rich fertilizer
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, No need to fertilize every year
Pests and Diseases
Aphids, Red blotch, Whiteflies
Aphids, Red blotch, Sawfly Larvae
Plant Tolerance
Wind
Pollution, Soil Compaction, Wet Site
Flowers
✔
✘
✔
✘
Flower Petal Number
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
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Bees, Birds, Butterflies, pollinators
-
Allergy
Pollen
Asthma
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
Erosion control, Wildlife
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 for making roof trusses, poles, joists, piles, Used in construction, Used in Furniture
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Rock Garden / Wall, Wildflower
Feature Plant, Shade Trees
Botanical Name
Malpighia emarginata
BETULA nigra
Common Name
Barbados cherry, West Indian cherry and wild crepe myrtle
River Birch
In Hindi
Acerola Tree
River Birch
In German
Acerola Baum
Fluss Birch
In French
Acerola Arbre
Birch river
In Spanish
Árbol de acerola
river Birch
In Greek
Acerola Δέντρο
ποταμός Birch
In Portuguese
Árvore acerola
river Birch
In Polish
Acerola Drzewo
Rzeka Birch
In Latin
Acerola ligno
Betula
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
-
Magnoliophyta
Class
-
Magnoliopsida
Order
Malpighiales
Fagales
Family
Malpighiaceae
Betulaceae
Genus
Malpighia
Betula
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
Paperveroideae
-
Number of Species
-3
1
27800
👆🏻