SHIMARUKU
Malpighia emarginata.

The Shimaruku is the one tree; when ask to "name a wild fruit"
everybody will mention as the first one.
It is a very resistant tree out there in the wild.
And important to mention that the fruits does not always
has the same taste. The level of sourness depend on the
amount of rainfall.
Be aware, we have two distinct Shimaruku tree on the Island.
The Red Shimaruku and the Orange Shimaruku.
The Red Shimaruku taste better that the orange one.
The other way to tell them apart is more tricky.
Red Shimaruku does-not show a clearly transformation
of colours when going through the ripening process.
To explain this more simple: it is unusual to see half-ripe
Red Shimaruku with orange colour while this is always the case with
with Orange Shimaruku.
Thumbnail #4 shows clearly a Red Shimaruku tree.
Thumbnail #5 shows clearly an Orange Shimaruku tree.

Something else to consider is the amount
of pest and deformation the fruits carry when it didn't
rain sufficiently. ( Red and Orange Shimaruku trees )
The flowers of this tree is small and has a light purple colour.
( This can be seen on the first tumbnail below ).
As the fruit grows, Pollen will stick on the fruit.
( This can also be seen on the first tumbnail below ).
In the past, mothers send their kids to the Shimaruku trees
to pick the fruits and they use a stick ( old piece of branch )
to shake the fruits loose. But mother always remind the kids
to stand in the opposite direction of the wind because
all the Pollen will stuck on your body. As result, you start
itching all over.
This type of Pollen is called "Bagaz".
The tree itself grows up to 4 meters.

USE:
Good source of vitamin-C.
The fruit is edible. In the past Jam or juice were made
with the fruits. The Shimaruku is also a delightful food
for lots of Birds. The Iguanan and Bats love this fruits too.