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Magnoliopsida
Averrhoa carambola L.
EOL Text
Distribution: Cultivated in parts of China, India, Burma, Malaysia and Madagascar; ornamental in parts of S. America.
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| Rights holder/Author | eFloras.org Copyright © Missouri Botanical Garden |
| Source | http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=5&taxon_id=200012373 |
French Guiana: carambol.
Plant introduced from the East Indies to French Guiana.
Plants 3-12(-15) m tall, densely branched, young parts finely pubescent or glabrous. Leaves 7-25 cm; petiole 2-8 cm; leaflets (3-)5-13; petiolules 1-2.5 mm; leaflet blades ovate to elliptic, 3-8 × 1.5-4.5 cm, abaxially pubescent to nearly glabrous, base obliquely rounded, apex acute to acuminate. Inflorescences axillary or rameal, panicles or cymes, branches and flower buds crimson. Flowers numerous, small. Sepals narrowly elliptic, 3-5 mm, base sparingly pubescent. Petals white with purple markings or pink to red with darker markings, 6-9 × 3-4 mm. Shorter stamens sterile, occasionally 1 or 2 fertile. Ovary pubescent. Berry yellow to yellow-brown, oblong, 7-13 × 5-8 cm, deeply (3-)5(or 6)-ribbed, stellate in cross section, very fleshy. Seeds numerous, blackish brown. Fl. Apr-Dec, fr. Jul-Dec.
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| Rights holder/Author | eFloras.org Copyright © Missouri Botanical Garden |
| Source | http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200012373 |
This species is cultivated throughout the tropics for its fruit, for which there are many cultivars differing in size and flavor.
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| Rights holder/Author | eFloras.org Copyright © Missouri Botanical Garden |
| Source | http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200012373 |
Tree 4-6 m tall. Younger branches and shoots tomentose. Leaves impari¬pinnate; leaflets opposite to subopposite, subsessile, elliptic to ovate, 5-8.5 cm long, 3-4.5 cm broad, the terminal the largest; acuminate, upper surface glabrous, lower sparsely pubescent. Flowers in axillary tomentose panicles. Bract 1.5 mm long, ovate. Pedicel 2 mm long. Sepals 3.5 mm long, ovate, imbricate, persistent. Petals 8-9 mm long, elliptic oblong, lilac to purple, slightly connate above the base. Stamens 10, often 5 antheriferous, alternating with 5 staminodes; filament 2 mm long, curved, persistent, base dilated; anthers obovate to ovate, basifixed; Ovary c. 1.8 mm long, pubescent, with 5 acute lobes; styles 5, glandular, persistent; stigma capitate. Berry 6-7.5 cm long, narrowly oblong, acutely 5 ridged, yellow when mature. Seeds arillate, often few abortive in fruit.
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| Rights holder/Author | eFloras.org Copyright © Missouri Botanical Garden |
| Source | http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=5&taxon_id=200012373 |
A beautiful tree when in full bloom with pale rose coloured flowers. The sour fruit is eaten raw or cooked. The juice of the fruit is used to remove stains from linen. The fruit when dried is used as an antiscorbutic, in fevers and as a cooling agent; when ripe it is helpful for bleeding piles.
| License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
| Rights holder/Author | eFloras.org Copyright © Missouri Botanical Garden |
| Source | http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=5&taxon_id=200012373 |
Habit: Tree
Arbusto, hasta 3 m de altura.
Hojas distribuidas a lo largo de las ramas, con 5 a 15 folíolos, de 4,5-8,3 por 1,9-3,2 cm, la base truncada o redondeada, el ápice acuminado. Pétalos usualmente rojizos, de 6 a 9,5 mm de largo; con cinco estambres fértiles. Frutos amarillos, verde amarillento o anaranjados, de 6-15 por 4-8 cm, conspicuamente pentagonales, con 5 ó 6 crestas longitudinalmente. Es una especie ampliamente comercializada (carambola), que se distingue por los frutos conspicuamente acostillados longitudinalmente y la menor cantidad de folíolos. Existen muchas variedades que difieren notablemente en el tamaño de los frutos.