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Marcus, Joseph A.

Malpighia glabra

Malpighia glabra L.

Barbados Cherry, Wild Crapemyrtle, Acerola, Manzanita

Malpighiaceae (Barbados Cherry Family)

Synonym(s):

USDA Symbol: magl6

USDA Native Status: L48 (N), VI (N?)

Barbados Cherry develops into a thick, rounded canopy of fairly delicate foliage . Small pink flowers appear periodically from April to October and are followed about one month later by bright red, tart-tasting, 1-inch fruits which are high in vitamin C.

From the Image Gallery

83 photo(s) available in the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Shrub
Fruit Type: Caryopsis , Drupe
Size Notes: Usually shrubby, up to about 9 feet. Sometimes a small tree up to about 18 feet.

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: Pink
Bloom Time: Mar , Apr , May , Jun , Jul , Aug , Sep , Oct , Nov , Dec

Distribution

USA: TX
Native Distribution: From south Texas south through Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean to South America as far as Peru and Brazil.
Native Habitat: Thickets, brushland (matorral), and palm groves

Growing Conditions

Water Use: Medium
Light Requirement: Part Shade
Soil Moisture: Dry
Soil Description: Sandy, Sandy Loam, Medium Loam, Clay Loam, Clay, Limestone. Well-drained.
Conditions Comments: Half of the winters in the Austin area are mild enough for Barbados cherry to keep its leaves. It is useful as a dense screening hedge that may be left soft, sheared, or as a specimen. Birds quickly gobble up its bright, edible fruit and adult butterflies feed on the nectar. Standard tall and dwarf spreading varieties exist.

Benefit

Use Ornamental: Blooms ornamental, Fruits ornamental, Attractive, Hedges, Accent tree or shrub, Patio pot plant, Ground cover, Mass planting
Use Wildlife: Nectar-insects, Fruit-birds, Fruit-mammals, Browse.
Use Food: Fruit, referred to as acerola cherries, eaten and used for juice throughout the world's tropics and increasingly in temperate areas as well. Very high in Vitamin C.
Conspicuous Flowers: yes
Attracts: Birds , Butterflies
Nectar Source: yes
Deer Resistant: No

Butterflies and Moths of North America (BAMONA)

Brown-banded Skipper
(Timochares ruptifasciata)

Larval Host

Learn more at BAMONA

White-patched Skipper
(Chiomara georgina)

Larval Host

Learn more at BAMONA

Florida Duskywing
(Ephyriades brunnea)

Larval Host

Learn more at BAMONA

Cassius Blue
(Leptotes cassius)

Larval Host

Learn more at BAMONA

Propagation

Propagation Material: Softwood Cuttings
Description: New growth comes in summer usually. Take tip cuttings on new growth. Roots easily. Blooming triggered by drop in temperature.

From the National Organizations Directory

According to the species list provided by Affiliate Organizations, this plant is on display at the following locations:

Naval Air Station Kingsville - Kingsville, TX
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - Austin, TX
NPSOT - Native Plant Society of Texas - Fredericksburg, TX
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department - Austin, TX
NPSOT - Austin Chapter - Austin, TX
National Butterfly Center - Mission, TX
NPSOT - Williamson County Chapter - Georgetown, TX

Bibliography

Bibref 131 - California Landscape Garden: Ecology, Culture & Design (1999) Francis, M. & A. Reimann
Bibref 186 - Native Gardens for Dry Climates (1995) Wasowski, S. & A. Wasowski
Bibref 811 - Tallgrass prairie wildflowers : a field guide to the wildflowers, grasses, and woody vines of the tallgrass prairie (1995) Ladd, D. M. ; F. Oberle
Bibref 851 - Tyler's Herbs of Choice: The Therapeutic Use of Phytomedicinals (1999) Robbers, J. E.; V. E. Tyler

Search More Titles in Bibliography

Web Reference

Webref 38 - Flora of North America (2019) Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
Webref 23 - Southwest Environmental Information Network (2009) SEINet - Arizona Chapter

Additional resources

USDA: Find Malpighia glabra in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Malpighia glabra in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Malpighia glabra

Metadata

Record Modified: 0000-00-00
Research By: TWC Staff, LAL

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