Carambola (Averrhoa carambola)

Family: Oxalidaceae | Edibility: Choice Edible (4/5)

Carambola, Averrhoa carambola, is a tropical, evergreen, small tree or shrub native to Southeast Asia and Indian Subcontinent. It reaches up to 5-12 m tall when fully matured. Its flowers are red-purple in color, small, and bell shaped. The plant is known for its edible fruit and for medicinal uses. The orange-yellow, star-shaped fruit can be eaten raw or pickled and made into jelly, juice, and jam.

Edible Parts & Harvest Seasons

Edible Parts: Fruit, Berries, Leaves, Flowers

Harvest Seasons: Early Summer, Fall, Late Summer, Spring

Flavor & Culinary Uses

delicious on their own, they also go very well in fruit salads, juiced and mixed with other fruits etc. — Edible portion: Fruit, Flowers, Leaves.; The fruit is crisp and juicy with a waxy yellow skin when ripe.; The best forms are delicious on their own, they also go very well in fruit salads, juiced and mixed with other fruits etc.; The fruit flavour is enhanced by peeling off the 'wing' edges, which removes most of the oxalic acid.

Habitat & North American Range

Humid forests and woodland on sandy loam. (Zone 10)