Acerola, a plant with power-packed vitamin C fruits

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Small pink-and-yellow flowers appear six or seven times a year on evergreen branches, followed by red, slightly tangy cherries with juicy flesh. Acerola (Malpighia glabra) is famed for vitamin C levels roughly twenty times higher than oranges; being a tropical tree, it succeeds only in a pot that can be sheltered in a hot, moist greenhouse, where it stays ornamental.

Most often we come along it in a gelcap or tab in a pharmacy, but it actually is a slightly tangy fruit with juicy flesh.

Growing acerola

Native to Mexico and South America, the acerola tree is a typical tropical tree. It’s impossible to grow outdoors in temperate climates. The only option is to grown it in pots and bring it indoors in a heated moist greenhouse during winter.

Fruit formation is also difficult to obtain when not in its natural environment. It still has great ornamental and decorative value, though.

• Acerola is frost-sensitive and best overwintered above freezing; brief exposure near 0 °C can damage leaves and tender young shoots, though established plants often survive short, light frosts with only partial dieback.
• Under glass the oil-collecting bees that pollinate acerola in the Americas are absent, so dab the open flowers with a soft brush to move pollen between them if you want any cherries to set.
• Left unchecked an acerola reaches tree size, so shorten the branches of a potted specimen after a flowering flush to keep it bushy and small enough to carry in and out of shelter.
• Acerola is generally described as shallow-rooted, and a free-draining citrus mix in a sunny pot dries quickly, so checking the top few centimetres of the mix often is a sensible way to judge when to water.

Planting acerola in pots

Choose an adequate soil mix for growing an acerola tree. Typically, well-draining Mediterranean-like soil is fine. Any soil or substrate recommended for citrus plants will do equally well.

The pot must have a hole at the bottom. Ensure there’s a drainage layer of gravel or clay beads. It’s important to let water drain away very easily.

• In summer, you can bring your Acerola tree outdoors. Leave it outside from mid-May to mid-September.
• In winter, it requires a hot, moist greenhouse.
• Moisture can be provided by often misting the foliage with soft water. However, there are many other tricks to increase air moisture!
• It is advised to repot every 2 to 3 years.

Acerola care through the year

Grown in a pot, acerola moves between outdoors and shelter as the seasons change. Here is what the plant asks for at each stage.

Match these needs and the tree will keep its ornamental value even where fruit is hard to obtain.

Health benefits of acerola

Many therapeutic effects are attributed to acerola, especially thanks to its high vitamin C content. Vitamin C levels are roughly 20 times higher than oranges.

Acerola is both a tonic and a restructuring agent for our bodies. It increases muscle tone and overall vigor of our body.

Other vitamins present include vitamins B6, B1 and A. Each of these take part in protecting our health and reinforce our body’s immune system.

You can eat Acerola either directly as a fruit, or swallow it as a gelcap or tab.

• Read also: Natural remedies to be in great shape in winter.