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Carambola, Star Fruit Seeds (Averrhoa carambola) Price for Package of 2 seeds. Carambola, also known as  star fruit, is the fruit of  Averrhoa carambola, a species of tree native to tropical  Southeast Asia.  The fruit is commonly consumed throughout  Southeast Asia, the  South Pacific,  Micronesia, parts of  East Asia, and  the Caribbean.  The tree is cultivated throughout tropical areas of the world. The fruit has distinctive ridges running down its sides (usually 5–6).  When cut in cross-section, it resembles a star, giving its name as  star fruit.  The entire fruit is edible, usually raw, and may be cooked or made into  relishes, preserves,  garnish, and juices. Origins and distribution Sliced carambolas having 7, 6, and the usual 5 points The  center of diversity  and the original range of  Averrhoa carambola  is tropical  Southeast Asia, where it has been cultivated over centuries.[1][3][4][5]  It was introduced to the  Indian Subcontinent  and  Sri Lanka  by  Austronesian  traders, along with ancient Austronesian  cultigens  like  coconuts,  langsat,  noni, and  santol.[6]  They remain common in those areas and in  East Asia  and throughout  Oceania  and the  Pacific Islands.[1][2]  They are cultivated commercially in  India, Southeast Asia, southern  China,  Taiwan, and the southern  United States. They are also grown in  Central America,  South America, the  Southwestern United States  and  Florida,  the Caribbean, and parts of  Africa.[1][2]  They are grown as  ornamentals.[1]  Carambola is considered to be at risk of becoming an  invasive species  in many world regions. Description The carambola tree has a short trunk with many branches, reaching up to 30 feet (9.1 m) in height.[1]  Its deciduous leaves are 6–10 inches (15–25 cm) long, with 5 to 11  ovate  leaflets medium-green in color.[1]  Flowers are  lilac  in color, with purple streaks, and are about 0.25 inches (6.4 mm) wide. The showy fruits have a thin, waxy  pericarp, orange-yellow skin, and crisp, yellow flesh with juice when ripe.[1]  The fruit is about 5 to 15 centimetres (2 to 6 inches) in length and is an oval shape. It usually has five or six prominent longitudinal ridges.[1]  In cross section, it resembles a star.[1][2]  The flesh is translucent and light yellow to yellow in color. Each fruit can have 10 to 12 flat light brown seeds about 6 to 13 mm (0.25 to 0.5 in) in width and enclosed in gelatinous  aril. Once removed from the fruit, they lose viability within a few days.[7][8][9] Like the closely related  bilimbi, there are two main types of carambola: the small sour (or tart) type and the larger sweet type. The sour varieties have a higher  oxalic acid  content than the sweet type. A number of cultivars have been developed in recent years. The most common cultivars grown commercially include the sweet types "Arkin" (Florida), "Yang Tao" (Taiwan), "Ma fueng" (Thailand), "Maha" (Malaysia), and "Demak" (Indonesia) and the sour types "Golden Star", "Newcomb", "Star King", and "Thayer" (all from Florida). Some of the sour varieties like "Golden Star" can become sweet if allowed to ripen. Common names Carambola is known by many names across its regions of cultivation, including  balimbing  in Southeast Asia,  ma fen  in China,  kamaranga  in India, and  carambolo  in Spanish-speaking countries, as examples.[1][2] Culinary Vertical, end view, and cross section of the ripe carambola Carambola, (star fruit), raw Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) Energy 128 kJ (31 kcal) Carbohydrates 6.73 g Sugars 3.98 g Dietary fiber 2.8 g Fat 0.33 g Protein 1.04 g Vitamins Quantity%DV† Vitamin A equiv. lutein  zeaxanthin 66 μg Thiamine (B1 ) 1% 0.014 mg Riboflavin (B2 ) 1% 0.016 mg Niacin (B3 ) 2% 0.367 mg Pantothenic acid (B5 ) 8% 0.391 mg Vitamin B6 1% 0.017 mg Folate (B9 ) 3% 12 μg Choline 2% 7.6 mg Vitamin C 41% 34.4 mg Vitamin E 1% 0.15 mg Minerals Quantity%DV† Calcium 0% 3 mg Iron 1% 0.08 mg Magnesium 3% 10 mg Manganese 2% 0.037 mg Phosphorus 2% 12 mg Potassium 3% 133 mg Sodium 0% 2 mg Zinc 1% 0.12 mg Other constituents Quantity Water 91.4 g Link to USDA Database entry Units μg =  micrograms • mg =  milligrams IU =  International units †Percentages are roughly approximated using  US recommendations  for adults. Source:  USDA Nutrient Database The entire fruit is edible, including the slightly waxy skin. The flesh is crunchy, firm, and extremely juicy.[2]  It does not contain fibers and has a texture similar in consistency to that of  grapes. Carambolas are best consumed shortly after they ripen, when they are yellow with a light shade of green or just after all traces of green have disappeared. They will also have brown ridges at the edges and feel firm. Fruits picked while still slightly green will turn yellow in storage at room temperature, but will not increase in sugar content. Overripe carambola will be yellow with brown spots and can become blander in taste and soggier in consistency. Ripe sweet type carambolas are sweet without being overwhelming as they rarely have more than 4% sugar content. They have a tart, sour undertone, and an oxalic acid odor. The taste is difficult to match, but it has been compared to a mix of  apple,  pear,  grape, and  citrus family  fruits. Unripe star fruits are firmer and sour, and taste like green apples. Ripe carambolas may also be used in cooking. In Southeast Asia, they are usually stewed in  cloves  and sugar, sometimes with  apples. In China, they are cooked with fish. In Australia, they may be cooked as a vegetable, pickled, or made into jams. In  Jamaica  they are sometimes dried. Unripe and sour type carambolas can be mixed with other chopped spices to make relishes in Australia.[1]  In the Philippines, unripe carambolas are eaten dipped in  rock salt.  In Thailand, they are cooked together with shrimp.[1] The juice from carambolas is also used in iced drinks, particularly the juice of the sour varieties. In the Philippines they can be used as seasoning. In India, the juice is bottled for drinking. Nutrition Raw carambola is 91% water, 7%  carbohydrates, 1%  protein, and has negligible  fat  (table). A 100 gram reference amount of raw fruit supplies 31  calories  and a rich content of  vitamin C  (41% of the  Daily Value), with no other  micronutrients  in significant content (table). Health risks Carambolas contain  caramboxin[13]  and  oxalic acid.[1][14]  Both substances are harmful to individuals suffering from  kidney failure,  kidney stones, or those under  kidney dialysis  treatment.[14]  Consumption by those with kidney failure can produce  hiccups, vomiting, nausea, mental confusion, and sometimes death.[15][16][17]  Caramboxin is a  neurotoxin  which is structurally similar to  phenylalanine, and is a  glutamatergic  agonist.[13] Drug interactions Like the  grapefruit, carambola is considered to be a potent inhibitor of seven  cytochrome P450  isoforms.[18][19]  These enzymes are significant in the  first-pass elimination  of many medications, and, thus, the consumption of carambola or its juice in combination with certain prescription medications can significantly increase their effective dosage within the body. Cultivation Unripe Indian carambola Ripe carambola fruit with Indian spices The carambola is a tropical and subtropical fruit which can be grown at elevations up to 1,200 metres (4,000 feet). It prefers full sun exposure, but requires enough humidity and annual rainfall of at least 1,800 mm (70 in).[1][2]  It does not have a soil type preference, but will thrive in  loam  and requires good drainage.[1]  Moderate irrigation supports its growth during dry seasons.[1]  Heavy rains may inhibit fruit production.[1] Carambola trees are planted at least 6 m (20 ft) from each other and typically are fertilized three times a year. The tree grows rapidly and typically produces fruit at four or five years of age. The large amount of rain during spring actually reduces the amount of fruit, but, in ideal conditions, carambola can produce from 90 to 180 kilograms (200 to 400 pounds) of fruit a year. The carambola tree flowers throughout the year, with main fruiting seasons from April to June and October to December in Malaysia,[20]  for example, but fruiting also occurs at other times in some other locales, such as South Florida.[1][8] Growth and leaf responses of container-grown `Arkin' carambola (Averrhoa carambola  L.) trees to long-term exposure of 25%, 50%, or 100% sunlight showed that shading increased  rachis  length and leaflet area, decreased leaflet thickness, and produced more horizontal branch orientation.[21] Major pests are  carambola fruit flies, fruit moths, ants, and birds.[1][7][20]  Crops are also susceptible to frost.[7] Top producers of carambola in the world market include Australia,  Guyana, India,  Israel,  Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and the United States.[8]  Malaysia is a global leader in star fruit production by volume and ships the product widely to Asia and Europe.[20]  Due to concerns over pests and pathogens, however, whole star fruits cannot yet be imported to the US from Malaysia under current  United States Department of Agriculture  regulations. In the United States, carambolas are grown in tropical and semitropical areas, including Texas, South Carolina, Louisiana, California, Virginia, Florida and Hawaii.[1][22] In the United States, commercial cultivation and broad consumer acceptance of the fruit only dates to the 1970s, attributable to  Morris Arkin, a backyard  horticulturalist, in  Coral Gables, Florida. The 'Arkin' variety represented 98% of the acreage in South Florida in the early 21st century.[23] Other uses The trees are also grown as ornamentals for their abundant brightly colored and unusually shaped fruits, as well as for their attractive dark green leaves and their lavender to pink flowers.[8] Like the  bilimbi, the juice of the more acidic sour types can be used to clean  rusty  or  tarnished  metal (especially  brass) as well as bleach rust stains from cloth. They may also be used as a  mordant  in  dyeing.

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