Malpighia emarginata

The Barbados cherry is a large, densely branched shrub or a small tree if pruned to form a central trunk. It varies in shape from a low and spreading habit to a more upright and open habit. It has slender branches with shiny light to deep green leaves which vary in size from 1 to 3 inches and in shape from ovate to obovate. The soft, juicy, thin-skinned fruit are light to deep crimson when mature. They average about an inch in diameter but vary from one-half to more than an inch. The three-lobed fruit are borne in leaf axils, singly or in clusters of 2 or 3. The flesh is yellow-orange and very high in vitamin C (ascorbic acid). Vitamin C content ranges from 1000 to 2000 mg per 100 gm in the edible portion of fully ripe fruit and may be as high as 4500 mg per 100 gm in partially ripe fruit. A single fruit of some selections could supply the daily adult requirement of vitamin C. The fruit from most seedlings is rather tart but from some it is sub-acid to almost sweet. The more acid fruit has the higher vitamin C content. The tree may have 3 to 5 crops per year, May to November, with the largest crops during the summer. However, this can vary with climatic conditions.

Known as Acerola, the sweet cherry- like fruit has an extremely high concentration of vitamin C. Clusters of pink flowers and fruit form along the stems intermittently through out the year. The fruit holds better in the heat of summer. In the north, Barbados Cherry will still flower on and off. Its habit is upright. When grown in pots, it is a fast grower usually beginning to flower at 3-4' tall.

Clusters of pink Crape Myrtle-like flowers are followed by 1" bright red cherries which boast an extremely high Vitamin C content. A single ripe cherry can supply your reccommended daily allowance of Vitamin C. Mature plants grown in mild climates can be relatively ever-bearing. Grow as a large shrub or train in into a small tree. Can be grown as a container plant in colder climates. Mature plants can often withstand temperatures down to 28 °F, younger plants should be protected below 32 °F.