Acerola is a plant native to tropical regions of the Western Hemisphere. It’s also commonly called the West Indies cherry, Barbados cherry, or just simply “acerola.” It’s believed that the shrub-like plant originated in southern Mexico and the Caribbean. Acerola produces cherry-like berries, these berries are pleasant-tasting once ripe and acidic when green.
The fruit is bright red and sweet-tasting when it's fully mature. However, we should note that most of the acerola’s health benefits come from the fact that it is so rich in vitamin C —the more the fruit ripens, the more vitamin C is lost — and acerola ripens very quickly. For this reason, they are not often sold fresh in stores since the fruits deteriorate very quickly once picked from the tree.