Malpighia glabra

Pink flowers resemble those of crape myrtles.
Photo by Arria BelliEdibles created some sensational sales this year for growers and retailers. Booths at the summer trade shows were stocked with edible plants and marketing ideas. If you’re looking to spice up your mix of edibles, Barbados cherry (also called Manzanita) has a lot to offer.

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, according to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin, Texas.

Multi-use plant
This versatile plant works as a groundcover when pruned correctly, an accent shrub or tree, a dense hedge in mild climates and a container plant. It’s a medium to slow grower, and works well as a foundation planting.

Malpighia glabra produces tart and flavorful cherries in the fall.
Photo by Mateus Hidalgo It requires medium irrigation and is drought tolerant once established. Barbados cherry grows best in part shade. It grows well in a number of soil types including sandy, medium loam and clay.

It typically grows up to 6 feet high, but it can reach 20 feet tall if left undisturbed. Foliage is dark green, fruit is red and the pink flowers resemble crape myrtle (which explains its other alias, wild crape myrtle.)

Trained to numerous multitrunks, it can be used as a small accent tree just as Japanese ligustrum is used, said Edward Gilman, professor of environmental horticulture at the University of Florida.

“The multitrunks rise sinuously up through the crown, creating a sculptured specimen well-suited for placing near a patio, deck or entry way to attract attention. It looks great lighted at night from below the tree,” he said.

Marketing opportunities
With the surge in fruit sales, promoting the edible take is the obvious marketing route for M. glabra.

The fruit is rich in vitamin C – up to 4,000 milligrams per 100 grams of an edible portion, according to Tropilab Inc., a tropical seeds exporter. It’s also rich in vitamin A, iron, calcium, and magnesium.

Barbados cherry can also be marketed to wildlife gardeners. It attracts birds and butterflies, including the brown-banded skipper, white-patched skipper, Florida duskywing and Cassius blue.

For more: Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, www.wildflower.org. Edward Gilman, UFL, egilman@ufl.edu. Tropilab Inc., www.tropilab.com.