Acerola

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Name Variations

 * Barbados cherry
 * Puerto Rican cherry
 * West Indian cherry

About Acerola
Also called Barbados Cherry, the scientific name of this plant is Malpighia glabra and it represents a tropical small tree or a fruit-bearing shrub belonging to the family Malpighiaceae, originated in northern South America and West Indies. This small tree can grow up to 3 m in height, developing a dense crown. The leaves are simple ovate-lanceolate and evergreen, measuring from 5 to 10 cm in length. The flowers have 1-1.5 cm diameter each and five red or pink petals. As for the fruit, it has a bright red colour, 1 cm diameter and a sweet and juicy taste. Obviously, it is rich in nutrients and vitamin C. As long as the fruit has a pleasant tart taste, it is used in cold drinks, being added to orange or pineapple juices that are used as baby food. For instance, in the 1950s, a manufacturer of baby food decided that apple juice was milder for infants than the orange juice, so it was considered that a drop of acerola juice poured into a can of apple juice would provide the amount of vitamin C that every child needed.

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