star fruit: (Averrhoa carambola)

Averrhoa carambola

Common names

• in English: caramba, carambola, Chinese gooseberry, country gooseberry, star fruit

• in Cambodia: spo

• in China: wu han tzu, wu leng tzu, yang tao

• in India:

amrenga, brihaddala, cakatam, cakattai, carambola, caturappuli, catarapuli, chatarapali, chaturappuli, cicakari, cicam, cikam, cukkirakam, cukkirakamaram, daare huli, dantasatha, darchuli, darehuli, darepuli, dharaphala, dharaphalah, dieng sohtreng, heinoujom, irumpanpuli, kacerukam, kamaraak mara, kamaraakshi, kamaraakshi hannu, kamarak, kamaraka mara, kamarakh, kamarakha, kamarakshi, kamarakshi hannu, kamarakshi mara, kamaramga, kamaranga, kamarangam, kamraak, kamrac, kamrak, kamranga, kandasagadam, kantacatakamaram, kantacatcam, kantacatkam, karamaadalu, karamala, karamanooga, karamara, karamonga, kardai, kardoi, karma-ranga, karmal, karmar, karmara, karmaranga, karmarangah, karmare, karmbala, karomonga, karuka, karukah, khamrak, kiranelli, kirinelli, kirinulli, kobari kaayi, komarakmara, komaree, kordoi, kordoi tenga, koromonga, kumrak, meeta-kamarunga, mudgara,

nattuttamarattai, pitaphala, pitaphalah, pukamatitam, pukamatitamaram, pulachi, pulichi, pulinci, pulinji, pulipputtamarattai, putakecam, putakecaramaram, rohdoi, rujakara, sagadam, saturappuli, seizrak, shanba pelick, shiral, shukapriya, sigam, sisam, tamara, tamarakam, tamarakamaram, tamarat-tuka, tamaratamu, tamarathai, tamaraththam, tamaratonga, tamaratta, tamarattai, tamarattaimaram, tamarattam, tamarattankay, tamaratti, tamarta, tamarta-kaya, tamarttam-kay, tantacatam, taurta, thamaratha, thamaratham, thamarathamu, thei her awt, theiher-awt, theiherawt

• in Indonesia: belimbing manis

• in Japan: go-ren-shi

• in Laos: fuang

• in Malaysia: belimbing, belimbing batu, belimbing besi, belimbing kembola, belimbing manis, belimbing sagi, belimbing saji, belimbing sayor

• in Philippines: baimbing, balanga, balimbing, balinbing, balingbing, bilimbing, birihan, calangan, carambola, daligan, dalihan, dulungan, galangan, galuran, garahan, garnatis, garulan, malimbin, saranate, taranati

• in Thailand: fu-ang, ma-fu-ang, ma fueang, sa-pu

• in Vietnam: khe

Scientific Name (Synonyms)

• Averrhoa acutangula Stokes
• Sarcotheca philippica (Villar) Hallier f.

Floral Description
According to Flora of China

• 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.

 According to Flora of Pakistan

• 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.

Pharmacological Activities

• For ringworm, pound the shoots and poultice;
• fruit and leaves decoction given to arrest vomiting, diarrhea;
• crushed leaves and shoots applied externally in chicken pox, ringworm and headache.
• Root mixed with Eclipta alba roots made into a paste and applied in bleeding from gum;
• A decoction of roots with roots of Eclipta prostrata given for washing infected gums. Fruits cooling, astringent, stomachic, refrigerant;
• stembark of Croton oblongifolius, Prunus triflora, rhizome of Curcuma domestica, ripe fruits of Averrhoa carambola and root of Capsicum annuum crushed together and boiled in water and the extract given in jaundice, slices of fresh fruit taken for jaundice, bleeding piles and as antiscorbutic;
• Dried fruits cooling, antiscorbutic, used for skin diseases, jaundice and liver disorders, fevers, bleeding piles, eaten by a patient with sore throat;
• Salted fruit juice given as cooling agent;
• Ripe fruit juice laxative; crushed extract of ripe fruit applied to burns as a cooling medicine, also taken orally for jaundice and liver problems.
• Flowers said to kill intestinal worms.

Chemicals

• Phytofluene
• (-)-Epicatechin
• (+)-Epicatechin
• epi-Gallocatechin 3-O-gallate
• (-)-Epigallocatechin
• (-)-Epicatechin 3-O-gallate
• Procyanidin B1
• Procyanidin B2
• Cryptochrome