Malpighia emarginata is a tropical fruit-bearing shrub or small tree in the family Malpighiaceae native to the Neotropics. The fruit is notable for its exceptional richness in vitamin C and versatility in various food preparations.
Names
Common names include acerola (from Arabic: الزُّعرُورَة, romanized: az-zuʿrūra "azarole" for a similar looking old-world fruit), Puerto Rican cherry, Guarani cherry, Barbados cherry, West Indian cherry, wild crepe myrtle, cereza, and cerise.
Distribution
Malpighia emarginata is originally native to the Lesser Antilles islands of the southern Caribbean Sea, extending into South America as far south as Brazil. It has been introduced and even naturalized elsewhere in the neotropics, such as in Peru, Venezuela, and Ecuador, as well as the southernmost parts of the contiguous United States (southern Florida and the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas). In Florida, it can be grown in protected locations as far north as Cape Canaveral. It is cultivated in the tropics and subtropics throughout the world from southern Europe to parts of Africa, India, and Australia.
