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Oxalidaceae

W/C = Wild Collected
Averrhoa carambola L.

  • Common Name: Carambola, Star Fruit
  • Family: Oxalidaceae R.Br.

  • Country of Origin: believed to have originated in Sri Lanka and the Moluccas
  • Habitat:

  • Description: This dense, evergreen tree common in India and China grows to about 20'. Red and white flowers appear on bare branches or at leaf bases. Fruit has a thin, waxy, green-yellow, yellow or orange skin. Oblong and five-angled it is star-shaped when cut across the middle. It has a sweet, watery, slightly acid, pleasant tasting pulp that is eaten raw or preserved. Seedlings have been known to bear in 3 years. Large trees have been known to survive 26°F without damage but young trees must be protected from frost.

    [Vietnamese: khe, mit, ma dun, ma fueang]

  • Uses: Plant pacifies vitiated kapha, pitta, skin diseases, poison, pruritus, worm infestations, diarrhea, vomiting, hemorrhoids, intermittent fever, over perspiration and general debility.2
    Useful part: Leaves, Fruits.
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Accession Data:

  • Accession # 198500347
  • Source: Fairchild Bot Gard (FTG)
  • Accession Date: 12-31-1985
  • Bench: 1211 - AUS:Borneo/Sumatra B
  • Qty: 1 confirmed on 02-07-2012
Classification:

  • Division: Magnoliophyta
  • Class: Magnoliopsida
  • SubClass: eurosid I
  • Order: Oxalidales
  • SubOrder:
  • Family: Oxalidaceae
  • SubFamily:
  • Tribe:
  • SubTribe:
References:

  1. California Rare Fruit Growers WWW Site
  2. Ayurvedic Medicinal Plants

page generated on Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:29:48 -0500

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