Star fruit (Averrhoa carambola)

Star fruit (Averrhoa carambola) is a species of plant in the Oxalidaceae, a small slow growing tree, short trunk or shrub, many branches producing a broad rounded crown, the wood is white and turns reddish.

A. carambola has compound leaves, green, arranged circularly around the branches alternately, pinnate with a single terminal, opposite, 15-20 cm long. Leaflets are 3.8-9 cm long, ovate or ovate-oval.





The upper side of the leaf is smooth and green, the lower side is downy and whitish. Leaflets are reactive to light and tend to fold together at night, are also sensitive to sudden shocks and when shaken tend to close as well.

Inflorescences are purple or purple-striped, hairy. Flowers are arranged in small bunches at the ends of branches or sometimes on larger stems and stems, each bunch attached to the tree by a red stem.

Perfect flowers are bell-shaped in loose panicles that are multi-branched and have stalks. Each flower is 6 mm wide, 5 petals which have curved ends.

Fruit oblong, 5-6 angled, up to 6.35-15 cm long and up to 9 cm wide. The skin is thin, waxy and orange-yellow in color, juicy and yellow when ripe, crunchy in texture and star-shaped when cut crosswise.

The fruit has an oxalic acid aroma and tastes vary from very sour to slightly sweet. Each fruit has up to 12 seeds, 6-12.5 mm long, flat, thin and brown. Some forms of cultivation produce seedless fruit.

TAXON

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Oxalidales
Family: Oxalidaceae
Genus: Averrhoa L. in Sp. Pl.: 428 (1753)
Species: Averrhoa carambola L. in Sp. Pl.: 428 (1753)

HETEROTYPIC SYNONYMS

Averrhoa acutangula Stokes in Bot. Mat. Med. 2: 543 (1812)
Averrhoa carambola var. dulcis E.G.Balf. in Timber Trees, ed. 2.: 41 (1862 publ. 1863)
Averrhoa pentandra Blanco in Fl. Filip.: 392 (1837)
Connaropsis philippica Fern.-Vill. in F.M.Blanco, Fl. Filip., ed. 3. 4(13A): 33 (1880)
Sarcotheca philippica (Fern.-Vill.) Hallier f. in Meded. Rijks-Herb. 1: 2 (1910 publ. 1911)

PUBLICATIONS

Barthelat, F. (2019). La flore illustrée de Mayotte: 1-687. Biotope éditions.

Berendsohn, W.G., Gruber, A.K. & Monterrosa Salomón, J. (2012). Nova Silva Cusatlantica. Árboles natinos e introducidos de El Salvador. Parte 2: Angiospermae - Familias M a P y Pteridophyta. Englera 29-2: 1-300.

Brako, L. & Zarucchi, J.L. (1993). Catalogue of the Flowering Plants and Gymnosperms of Peru. Monographs in Systematic Botany from the Missouri Botanical Garden 45: i-xl, 1-1286. Missouri Botanical Garden.

Fosberg, F.R., Sachet, M.-H., Oliver, R. (1979). A geographical checklist of the Micronesian Dicotyledonae. Micronesica; Journal of the College of Guam 15: 41-295.

Govaerts, R. (1995). World Checklist of Seed Plants 1(1, 2): 1-483, 529. MIM, Deurne.

Hammel, B.E. & al. (eds.) (2007). Manual de Plantas de Costa Rica, volumen VI, Dicotyledóneas (Haloragaceae-Phytolaccaceae). Monographs in Systematic Botany from the Missouri Botanical Garden 111: 1-933. Missouri Botanical Garden.

Hancock, I.R. & Henderson, C.P. (1988). Flora of the Solomon Islands. Research Bulletin Dodo Creek Research Station 7: 1-203.

Hokche, O., Berry, P.E. & Huber, O. (eds.) (2008). Nuevo Catálogo de la Flora Vascular de Venezuela: 1-859. Fundación Instituto Botánico de Venezuela.

Jørgensen, P.M. & León-Yánez, S. (eds.) (1999). Catalogue of the Vascular Plants of Ecuador. Monographs in Systematic Botany from the Missouri Botanical Garden 75: i-viii, 1-1181. Missouri Botanical Garden.

Jørgensen, P.M., Nee, M.H. & Beck., S.G. (eds.) (2013). Catálogo de las plantas vasculares de Bolivia. Monographs in Systematic Botany from the Missouri Botanical Garden 127: 1-1741. Missouri Botanical Garden.

Leti, M., Hul, S., Fouché, J.-G., Cheng, S.K. & David, B. (2013). Flore photographique du Cambodge: 1-589. Éditions Privat, Toulouse.

Lê, T.C. (2003). Danh lục các loài thực vật Việt Nam 2: 1-1203. Hà Nội : Nhà xuất bản Nông nghiệp.

Newman, M., Ketphanh, S., Svengsuksa, B., Thomas, P., Sengdala, K., Lamxay, V. & Armstrong, K. (2007). A checklist of the vascular plants of Lao PDR: 1-394. Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh.

Pandey, R.P. & Dilwakar, P.G. (2008). An integrated check-list flora of Andaman and Nicobar islands, India. Journal of Economic and Taxonomic Botany 32: 403-500.

Pasha, M.K. & Uddin, S.B. (2013). Dictionary of plant names of Bangladesh, Vasc. Pl.: 1-434. Janokalyan Prokashani, Chittagong, Bangladesh.

Sarmah, K.K. & Borthakur, S.K. (2009). A checklist of angiospermic plants of Manas national park in Assam, India. Pleione 3: 190-200.

Smitinand, T. & Larsen, K. (eds.) (1970-1975). Flora of Thailand 2: 1-484. The Forest Herbarium, Royal Forest Department.

Van Steenis, C.G.G.J. (ed.) (1971-1976). Flora Malesiana 7: 1-876. Noordhoff-Kolff N.V., Djakarta.

Wu, Z. & Raven, P.H. (eds.) (2008). Flora of China 11: 1-622. Science Press (Beijing) & Missouri Botanical Garden Press (St. Louis).

VERNACULAR NAME

Arabic: فاكهة النجمة
Bislama: Faefkona
Chamorro: Bilembines
Chinese (simplified): 洋桃 - 阳桃 - 杨桃 - 五敛子
Chinese (traditional): 楊桃 - 洋桃
Czech: Karambola obecná
Danish: Karambol
Dutch: Carambola, Stervrucht
English: Starfruit, Star fruit, Five-corner
Filipino: Balimbing
Finnish: Karambola
French: Carambolier
German: Sternfrucht
Guangdong: 楊桃
Hebrew: קרמבולה
Hindi: करमल - कमरक Karmal, Kamarak
Hong Kong: 楊桃
Indonesian: Belimbing, Belimbing manis
Japanese: ゴレンシ - スターフルーツ
Java: Blimbing
Kannada: Karmal, Kamaraakshi, Kamarak, Kamarike, Komarike, Daarehuli, Dhaarehuli
Lithuanian: Karambolinė averoja
Macao: 楊桃
Malayalam: Caturappuli
Manipuri: Heinoujom
Mizo: Thei-her-awt
Oria: Kamaranga
Palauan: Kemim, Oderteboteb
Polish: Oskomian pospolity, Karambola
Portuguese: Carambola, Caramboleira
Russian: карамбола
Slovak: Egrešovec obyčajný
Spanish: Carambola, Fruta china
Sunda: Balingbing
Tagalog: Balimbing
Taiwan: 楊桃
Tamil: தாமரட்டை Tamarattai
Telugu: Tamarta
Thai: มะเฟือง
Urdu: Kamrakh

Aryo Bandoro
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