Barbados Cherry is a fairly easy growing plant with reasonable drought tolerance. Its fruit is renowned for its extremely high vitamin C content. Barbados Cherry, Malpighia punicifolia, is a common tree through the Caribbean and Central America. The Barbados cherry (Malpighia glabra) is a fruit cherry native to the West Indies, South and Central America that flourishes in south Florida and the warmest areas of central Florida. It is high in vitamin C content and many C supplements labeled as natural are made of acerola. Barbados Cherry. Malpighia glabra. Barbados Cherry Barbados cherry (Malpighia glabra L), also known as West Indian cherry, is a popular garden cherry that originated from the West Indies 40 years ago. This small tree, which can reach 20 feet, has shiny light to deep green leaves. 'Florida Sweet' -Acerola or Barbados Cherry is native to the Caribbean islands and northern South America. Soil: Average watering … It is a large evergreen and tropical shrub to small tree growing to 15 feet without pruning. Its ascorbic acid content has been studied and shown to greatly assist the immune system. Often forming as multi-trunked shrub or trained as a tree, this plant is strong. Height: Up to 20 feet. Well established plants can be sensitive to temperatures below freezing. Barbados cherry doesn't come with the hard pit of common cherry varieties and provides more vitamin C than its distant cousins. Fortunately, a few cherry tree cultivars that are tropical in nature can thrive in most Florida gardens.