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== Synonyms ==
*''Malpighia punicifolia'' L. (1762).
== Vernacular names ==
*Acerola, West Indian cherry, Barbados cherry (En). *Cerise-antillaise (Fr)*Thailand: choeri (Bangkok), *Vietnam: so'ri.
== Origin and geographic distribution ==
== Botany ==
*Shrub or small evergreen tree, 2-3(-6) m tall, with spreading, more or less drooping branches on a short trunk. *Leaves opposite, ovate to elliptic-lanceolate, 2-8 cm × 1-4 cm, entire or undulating, dark green and glossy above, petiole short. *Inflorescences sessile or short-peduncled axillary cymes with 3-5 flowers; flowers .*Flowers bisexual, 1-2 cm in diameter, pinkish to reddish; calyx with 6-10 large sessile glands; petals 5, fringed, slender-clawed; stamens 10, filaments united below. *Fruit a bright-red, juicy drupe, depressed-ovoid, 1-3 cm in diameter and weighing 3-5 g, usually in pairs or threes, obscurely 3-lobed; skin thin, flesh soft, orange, acid to subacid. *Seeds 3, triangular, ridged.
The germination rate of the seed is low (5-50%). Trees start to produce well 3-4 years after planting and continue for 15 years. In Puerto Rico flowering appeared to be independent of the daylength and several cropping periods are possible per year, especially with alternating dry and rainy periods. The flowers are pollinated by insects; honey bees substantially improve fruit set. Self- and cross-incompatibility have been reported. Fruits ripen completely 3-4 weeks after flowering. In Puerto Rico the large-fruited (up to 20 g/fruit) selection B-15 is most important. In Florida, "Florida Sweet" is a high-yielding cultivar.
== Agronomy ==
Fully developed seeds should be used for planting. Acerola may also be propagated vegetatively by cuttings, budding or grafting. The recommended spacing is 3-4 m on the square, or in double rows, e.g. (4 + 2) m × 3 m. NPK fertilization twice a year and application of organic material are recommended for Puerto Rico. Bearing will be enhanced if mature plants are judiciously pruned after the main crop, followed by a top dressing. Acerola is very susceptible to the root-knot nematode ''Meloidogyne incognita'' var. ''acrita'' . It can be controlled by soil fumigation, mulching and regular irrigation.
Fruits for home consumption are picked when fully ripe. For processing fruits are harvested when they turn from yellow to red. Picking is carried out every 1-3 days as there is continuous fruiting over long periods. Individual trees may produce 15-30 kg of fruits per year, whereas yields per hectare per year may vary considerably: (10-)15-25(-65) t. Mature fruits bruise easily and are very perishable. Storage up to 3 days at 7°C is possible. Half-ripe acerolas can be kept for a few more days, but if longer storage is necessary the fruit must be frozen and kept at -12°C.
== Literature ==
* Ostendorf, F.W., 1963. The West Indian cherry. Tropical Abstracts 18(3): 145-150.
* Ledin, R.B., 1958. The Barbados or West Indian cherry. Florida Agricultural Experimental Station Bulletin 594: 1-28.
* Yamane, G.M. & Nakasone, H.Y., 1961. Pollination and fruit set studies of acerola (Malpighia glabra L.) in Hawaii. Proceedings American Society for Horticultural Science 78: 141-148.
== Authors ==
