About Malpighia emarginata DC.
Malpighia emarginata, commonly known as acerola, is an evergreen shrub or small tree. It has spreading branches growing from a short trunk. Most specimens grow 2 to 3 meters (6.6 to 9.8 feet) tall, though some can reach up to 6 meters (20 feet) in height. The chromosome number of this species is 2n = 40. This species is originally native to the Lesser Antilles islands in the southern Caribbean Sea, with its native range extending south into South America as far as Brazil. It has been introduced and become naturalized in other areas of the Neotropics, including Peru, Venezuela, and Ecuador, as well as the southernmost regions 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 across the tropics and subtropics worldwide, ranging from southern Europe to parts of Africa, India, and Australia.
