Kingdom Plantae Family Primulaceae Rank Species | Order Ericales Genus Ardisia | |
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Similar Ardisia elliptica, Ardisia solanacea, Ardisia humilis, Ardisia, Chrysophyllum oliviforme | ||
Ardisia escallonioides, the Island marlberry, is a plant species native to the West Indies and neighboring areas. It has been reported from Barbados, Bermuda, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Mexico, Belize, Guatemala and Florida.
Ardisia escallonioides is a shrub or tree up to 15 m (50 feet) tall. It has elliptic leaves up to 17 cm (7 inches) long. Flowers are borne in a panicle of up to 20 flowers. Each flower is white to pink, up to 7 mm (0.3 inches) across. Fruits are fleshy drupes up to 7 mm (0.3 inches) across, red at first then turning black.
Uses
Fruits of A. escallonioides are reported to be edible, but some consider the taste to be unpleasant.
References
Ardisia escallonioides Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA