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Accession Data:

Malpighia glabra L.

  • Common Name: Barbados Cherry, Acerola
  • Family: Malpighiaceae Juss.

  • Country of Origin: Texas south to South America
  • Habitat: dry thorn woodlands

  • Description: A tropical American tree. Fruit has a high vitamin C content and calcium and iron among its minerals. A slow grower which will reach 10 feet in a favorable environment, but only about 6 feet when container grown. Has a shrubby growth habit; young leaves are wine colored turning dark green. A tough, versatile plant that will grow in most soils, but will do better in a composted sandy loam. The thin-skinned fruit is cherry-like, red to crimson, semi-sweet to acid. Bears in its third year. Fruit is borne on previous year's growth and ripens a few days after flowering.
  • Culture: Propagation is by seeds but generally from cuttings in the summer and air layering.
  • USDA Zone: 10-12

Accession Data:

  • Accession # 198500465
  • Source: Unknown
  • Accession Date: 12-31-1985
  • Bench: 1304 - NEOA: North Bench W
    • Currently: active - healthy
    • Qty: 1 confirmed on 04-05-2023

Classification:

  • Division: Magnoliophyta
  • Class: Magnoliopsida
  • SubClass: eurosid I
  • Order: Malpighiales
  • SubOrder:
  • Family: Malpighiaceae
  • SubFamily:
  • Tribe:
  • SubTribe:

Flowering Data:

This accession has been observed in bloom on:
YearJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007

References (internal):

  • Edible Plants
  • Plants with Extrafloral Nectaries
  • EEB 3271 - Systematic Botany
  • EEB Greenhouse Holdings native to: Texas / Mexico Central / Mexico Northeast / Mexico Gulf / Mexico Northwest / Mexico Southwest / Mexico Southeast / Belize / Costa Rica / El Salvador / Guatemala / Honduras / Nicaragua / Panama / Aruba / Cuba / Dominican Republic / Haiti / Leeward Is. / Jamaica / Netherlands Antilles / Puerto Rico / Venezuelan Antilles / French Guiana / Venezuela / Colombia / Peru

References (external):

  1. Morton, J. 1987. Barbados Cherry. p. 204–207. In: Fruits of warm climates. Julia F. Morton, Miami, FL. Last accessed on Monday, July 24, 2017.
  2. Acerola Fruit Facts at California Rare Fruit Growers. Last accessed on Monday, July 24, 2017.
  3. The Plant List (2013). Version 1.1. Last accessed on Monday, July 24, 2017.
  4. Malpighia glabra at Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Last accessed on Monday, July 24, 2017.
  5. Image #00 (cropped) & #01 (original) by Eric Gaba (Sting - fr:Sting) (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 or GFDL], via Wikimedia Commons. Last accessed on Monday, July 24, 2017.

data regenerated on Wed, 15 Nov 2023 15:48:06 -0500 [bcm v4.0]

Images:

Malpighia glabra

Additional images for this accession:

Click on thumbnails to enlarge

Current Accessions in the Malpighiaceae

  • Acridocarpus natalitius
  • Acridocarpus zanzibaricus W/C
  • Banisteriopsis caapi
  • Galphimia gracilis
  • Malpighia coccigera
  • Malpighia glabra
  • Microsteira sp. W/C
  • Stigmaphyllon ciliatum
  • Tristellateia australasiae
W/C = Wild Collected
= indicates flowering in past 14 days
= images available for this accession
= map available for this accession
= accession added within past 90 days
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