Life Span
Annual and Perennial
Annual
Type
Shrub
Vegetable
Origin
Central America, South America
North America, Mexico, Central America
Types
Fruit Tree
-
Number of Varieties
220
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Dry areas, Well Drained, Woodlands
-
USDA Hardiness Zone
9-11-9999
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
Vining/Climbing
Plant Size
Minimum Height
457.20 cm60.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
243.84 cm90.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Pink
Yellow, Orange
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Red
Yellow
Leaf Color in Spring
Light Green, Gray Green
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
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Oval
Heart-shaped
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer
Summer, Fall
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Medium
Very Fast
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Alkaline
Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Spring, Summer
Indeterminate
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground, Pot
Container, Ground
How to Plant?
Cuttings, Seedlings
Divison
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Average Water Needs, Do Not over Water, Requires regular watering
Do not water frequently
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Alkaline
Neutral
Soil Type
Dry, Sandy
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Full 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 dead or diseased plant parts, Requires very little pruning
Fertilizers
Complete balanced fertilizer, iron-rich fertilizer
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Aphids, Red blotch, Whiteflies
Borers, Cucumber beetles, Mealybugs, Powdery mildew
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
Coarse
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Bees, Birds, Butterflies, pollinators
-
Allergy
Pollen
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
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
Fruits
Other Uses
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for making hedge
Used as a nutritious food item, Used As Food
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Rock Garden / Wall, Wildflower
Edible, Herb / Vegetable, Vine
Botanical Name
Malpighia emarginata
CUCURBITA pepo 'Papaya Pear'
Common Name
Barbados cherry, West Indian cherry and wild crepe myrtle
Summer Squash
In Hindi
Acerola Tree
summer squash
In German
Acerola Baum
Sommerkürbis
In French
Acerola Arbre
courges d'été
In Spanish
Árbol de acerola
calabaza de verano
In Greek
Acerola Δέντρο
καλοκαίρι σκουός
In Portuguese
Árvore acerola
abobrinha
In Polish
Acerola Drzewo
latem squash
In Latin
Acerola ligno
aestas cucurbitae
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
-
Magnoliophyta
Class
-
Magnoliopsida
Order
Malpighiales
Violales
Family
Malpighiaceae
Cucurbitaceae
Genus
Malpighia
Cucurbita
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
-
Cucurbiteae
Subfamily
Paperveroideae
Cucurbitoideae
Number of Species
-5
1
27800
👆🏻