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It is used as ornamental shrubs, hedges, and bonsai. Fruits are edible but not commonly consumed.
Tropical America
It grows well in a variety of conditions, including full sun to partial shade. It tolerates drought and poor soils.
Attracts butterflies with its nectar-rich purple flowers. Its berries contain toxic saponins, making them poisonous to humans and animals.
It is an evergreen shrub, 1-3 m tall, dense and rounded.
Stem is woody, with numerous branches forming a dense, rounded crown. Young stems are green and smooth, maturing to grayish-brown with short, sharp thorns.
Leaves are simple, ovate to elliptic, with a pointed tip and a slightly wavy margin. They are arranged oppositely on the stems. Leaves are glossy green above and paler below, with smooth surfaces.
Flowers are small, tubular, and arranged in dense clusters at the ends of branches. They are typically blue or violet, but can also be white or lavender. Each flower has five petals fused into a tube.
Fruit is a small, round berry, about 1 cm in diameter. It matures from green to orange and then to yellow. The fruit contains several seeds.
Flowering: Blooms throughout the year in warm climates, with peak flowering in March and July.
Fruiting: Fruits mature over several months, with ripe fruits present throughout the year.