Life Span
Annual and Perennial
Perennial
Type
Shrub
Tender Perennial
Origin
Central America, South America
Madagascar
Types
Fruit Tree
Purple vinca, Vinca, cherry red, strawberry color
Number of Varieties
230
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Dry areas, Well Drained, Woodlands
Subtropical climates, Tropical regions
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
Clump-Forming
Plant Size
Minimum Height
457.20 cm30.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
243.84 cm60.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Pink
Pink, Magenta, Rose
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
Oval
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
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
Container, Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Cuttings, Seedlings
Seedlings, Stem Planting, Transplanting
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Average Water Needs, Do Not over Water, Requires regular watering
Keep ground moist, Needs 2-3 times watering per week, Requires watering in the growing season, Water Deeply
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
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 ocassionally
Fertilizers
Complete balanced fertilizer, iron-rich fertilizer
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Aphids, Red blotch, Whiteflies
Botrytis Blight, Canker, Crown rot, Pythium rot, Root rot
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
Butterflies
Allergy
Pollen
Intestinal gas, Nausea, Vomiting
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
Chest pain, High blood pressure, Inflammation, Sore throat, Tooth ache, Wounds
Part of Plant Used
Flowers, Fruits, Leaves, Root
Whole plant
Other Uses
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for making hedge
Decoration Purposes, Showy Purposes, Used as Ornamental plant
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
Madagascar Periwinkle, Periwinkle, Vinca
In Hindi
Acerola Tree
Vinca
In German
Acerola Baum
Vinca
In French
Acerola Arbre
Vinca
In Spanish
Árbol de acerola
Vinca
In Greek
Acerola Δέντρο
Vinca
In Portuguese
Árvore acerola
Vinca
In Polish
Acerola Drzewo
Vinca
In Latin
Acerola ligno
Galium
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
-
Magnoliophyta
Class
-
Magnoliopsida
Order
Malpighiales
Gentianales
Family
Malpighiaceae
Apocynaceae
Genus
Malpighia
Catharanthus
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
Paperveroideae
-
Number of Species
-51
1
27800
👆🏻