Japanese name: アセロラ Scientific name:Malpighia glabra
[Overview]
An evergreen shrub 3–4 m tall.
The branches are slender and slightly drooping.
Leaves are simple and opposite, elliptic to lanceolate, 2–7 cm long, glossy on the upper surface, with entire margins.
Umbels arising from the leaf axils bear 3–8 flowers.
The flowers are about 1.3 cm across, with 5 pale pink petals.
The petal margins are serrated.
The fruit is the size of a cherry and ripens red.
[Uses]
The fruit is sour and rich in vitamin C, and is used as a fruit, for example in jam.
[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed or by cuttings.
It needs 5°C or higher to overwinter, but if watering is reduced it tolerates temperatures down to nearly 0°C.
It prefers a sunny, well-drained, well-ventilated, fertile soil.
From spring to autumn, water thoroughly when the soil surface dries; keep it on the dry side in winter.
From spring to autumn, apply a slow-release chemical fertilizer with equal proportions of the three components.
Pests and diseases include scale insects and aphids.
