What is "malpighia glabra"

Malpighia glabra \Malpighia glabra\ prop. n. (Bot.) THe species name of the acerola, also called barbados cherry, a tropical American shrub bearing edible cherrylike acid red fruit.

Syn: barbados cherry, acerola, Surinam cherry, West Indian cherry.

Malpighia \Mal*pi"ghi*a\, n. [NL. See Malpighian.] (Bot.) A genus of tropical American shrubs with opposite leaves and small white or reddish flowers. The drupes of Malpighia glabra (formerly Malpighia urens) are eaten under the name of Barbadoes cherries.

Malpighia glabra is a tropical fruit-bearing shrub or small tree in the family Malpighiaceae. It has often been confused with the cultivated crop tree M. emarginata, but has small insipid fruit and a very different flower structure.