I always say that nature surprises us with the wonders and diversity it gives us every day. And among these countless gifts is the species that I want to share with you today, which, by the way, has a remarkable beauty and interesting medicinal properties.

We are talking about nothing more and nothing less than the cherry of bush or Semeruco, names by which this plant is commonly known here in Venezuela. In particular, whenever I see this plant or its fruit, those beautiful memories of my childhood at my maternal grandparents' house come back to my memory. There they grew wild and when it was harvest time, it was wonderful to delight with the delicious taste of its berries. Its flavor is a sweet and sour mixture very refreshing and pleasant to the palate.

Acerola, Indian Cherry or little apples, are other common names with which they are known to this bushy plant belonging to the family Malpighiaceae and the genus Malpighia. The scientific name of the species is Malpighia emarginata and it is native to Central America, the Antilles and the tropical regions of South America, where it grows wild. Nowadays, thanks to its great adaptability, it is not only cultivated in tropical countries, but also in subtropical countries, such as Australia, Ethiopia, Philippines, India, Madagascar, Indonesia, Pakistan, Thailand and Vietnam, to name a few.

As for the appearance of the shrub, it has a very branched trunk with dark bark and can reach a maximum height of 5 meters. Its leafy, rounded crown is made up of short branches, which tend to be fragile and, when growing wild, have small thorns. The thick foliage is of a beautiful and shiny dark green color, achieving a wonderful contrast with its abundant small crimson red berries.

As I have already mentioned, the wild cherry plant is characterized by its leafy foliage. It is made up of small, simple, oval-shaped, dark green leaves, which are arranged opposite each other around the branches and measure between 5 and 12 millimeters long.

The flowers of the Semeruco shrub are small and delicate, consisting of 5 petals and measure up to 15 mm. They usually develop in small clusters and depending on the species the color varies between red, pink, lilac and in some cases they can be white. In the particular case of the species that I share with you today, as you can see in the images, its small flower has a beautiful pink color.

The fruit is the main attraction of this shrub, firstly, because it is a real visual spectacle when it is in its fruiting period, which occurs between 3 and 4 times a year. During this period it is beautiful, because the small berries when ripe turn an intense and very bright red color, which makes them stand out beautifully against the green foliage.

But, its fruits are not only attractive ornamentally, these small berries as I had already mentioned have a pulp with a delicious mixture of sweet and sour taste, which is really pleasant to the palate. They have a round shape and their approximate size is about 2 cm in diameter and 20 g in weight; in addition, they are covered with a thin, smooth and shiny skin. The skin, when the fruit is not yet ripe, is a beautiful green color that gradually changes to orange until it reaches an intense red color when they are fully ripe.

The ripe fruit is like seeing tiny red apples, they are really beautiful, but the best thing is that they are also a powerful vitamin C bomb. This is because it is the edible fruit with the highest ascorbic acid content known, in proportion, it can contain 20 to 30 times more vitamin C than oranges.

Now, although on the outside they resemble small blackberries or remind us of the cherries of the old European continent, internally they are very different, they are separated into segments formed by three pits, very compressed between them. On the other hand, its yellow pulp is very juicy and soft, with a delicious acid and sweet flavor when fully ripe. Additionally, it has a delicious and unmistakable aroma that evokes freshness and the happiest days of childhood.

Its uses are diverse, from its ornamental value as a shrub in gardens or indoors, cultivated in the form of bonsai. Its nutritional value, due to the high content of vitamin C that this fruit possesses, also contains vitamins B1, B6, A and essential minerals such as iron, calcium, phosphorus, potassium and magnesium. It also has considerable doses of phytonutrients, such as flavonoids, anthocyanins and phenolic carotenoids. These last two, due to their high pigment content, are used to obtain food coloring.

In addition, the cherry is used to prepare delicious juices, ice creams, jellies, jams, candies and even to make liqueurs. In the case of its medicinal uses, within the popular culture, it is used as a traditional therapy to combat fatigue, colds, diarrhea and throat infections. For now, the pharmaceutical industry uses it in the elaboration of cosmetics and its antioxidant, antitumor and anti-hyperglycemic properties are under study.

As you have been able to read, this small fruit is a whole case of cuteness, all these reasons that I have already mentioned, have allowed it to earn a special place in the heart of Venezuelans. For example, it is one of the natural symbols of the state of Lara, the renowned singer-songwriter Ali Primera, a native of the state of Falcón, makes reference to this delicious fruit in several of his creations. And how not to mention my beloved eastern region, where it served as inspiration to my fellow countryman singer-songwriter and popular cultor carupanero, the illustrious, Luis Mariano Rivera with his famous song Cherry. To close this publication, in the following image I share the lyrics of this beautiful song.

Well, dear readers and nature lovers, it only remains for me to say goodbye, hoping that the images and information I share with you about this beautiful plant have been to your liking. Very specially, I hope @bucipuci, @adalger and all the team of @dna and @amazingnature like it, since, it is my entry for this week's contest, in which, if you want to participate, you can access by clicking on the following link Amazing Nature Contest: FREE TOPIC - #2/8/23. Best wishes for well being and health to all, God Bless. See you next time.

Content and photographs of my intellectual property

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