Description

• The Barbados cherry is a shrub or small tree that grows up to 15 feet tall with wide spread branches and evergreen oval leaves.
• The leaves are evergreen, simple, 0.5-15 cm long, with an entire, wavy margin.
• The flowers are solitary or in umbels of two to several together, each flower 1-2 cm diameter, with five pink or white petals.
• The fruit is a red, orange or purple drupe, containing 2-3 hard seeds. It is sweet and juicy, and very rich in vitamin C, up to 65 times that of an orange.

Uses   

• Eaten fresh or as flavouring for drinks.
• Commonly used in parts of South America to flavour ice creams, drinks, and cocktails.
• The leaves are used against dysentery and diarrhoea.
• Also used for liver ailments; fruit used against the common cold.