Averrhoa carambola (Starfruit, Carambola)

Life > eukaryotes > Archaeoplastida > Chloroplastida > Charophyta > Streptophytina > Plantae (land plants) > Tracheophyta (vascular plants) > Euphyllophyta > Lignophyta (woody plants) > Spermatophyta (seed plants) > Angiospermae (flowering plants) > Eudicotyledons > Core Eudicots > Rosids > Eurosid I > Order: Oxalidales > Family: Oxalidaceae

A small to medium-sized tree, Native to southeast Asia that is cultivated for its fruit that when sliced have a star shape. Starfruit has both sweet and sour cultivars. The sweet type is eaten raw and is also used in jams, preserves, tarts and juices. The fruit is rich in potassium, iron, carotenoids, nicotinamide and Vitamin C. It is cultivated in southern Africa but is rarely eaten as a fruit in this region.

Publications

• van Wyk, B.-E. 2005. Food Plants of the World - Identification, Culinary Uses and Nutritional Value. Briza, Pretoria.