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GREEN NOTES

Edible West Indian Cherry

It is grown mostly as an ornamental shrub and people are rarely aware of the nutritional qualities.

West Indian cherry (Malpighia punicifolia) is a medium-sized tropical evergreen fruit-bearing shrub belonging to the family Malpighiaceae. It is native to the West Indies and North and South America. West Indian cherry grows upto 3 meters, with dense crowns of leaves that are ovate.

The flowers are formed in umbels (a cluster of flowers with stalks of nearly equal length which spring from about the same point, like the ribs of an umbrella). Each flower is small; 1 to 1.5 cm diameter, with five pink petals.

The ripe fruit is bright, containing seeds. It has a sweet and sour taste.West Indian cherry can be propagated using seedlings and by air layering. Pruning once a year prior to monsoon and application of organic manure is recommended. Layers bear fruit in six months, while seedlings fruit after two years of planting. Fruiting is noticed from August to November and April to May.

The juice of the fruit is used as a nutritional supplement in baby foods and in canning and processing industries.

With added pectin, excellent jelly, jam, and other preserves can also be prepared. .

The Vitamin C in the fruit acts as an anti-oxidant. According to the study conducted at Michigan State University, West Indian cherry contains powerful anthocyanins and flavanoids, which can inhibit colon cancer and heart diseases.

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