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The star-crossed fruit
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he star fruit is rich in vitamins
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The star fruit
Averrhoa carambola is a small ornamental tree growing up to a height of 20 feet. It belongs to the family Geramaceae. Bark is light brown and smooth or dark brown, cracked and rough, with beautiful evergreen foliage.
The leaves are unequally pinnate, dark green leaflets opposite each about 5" long with short stalks, terminal leaflet largest. Flowers are axillary. Small pink flowers with crimson sepals and fine pointed styles are borne on slender stalks in short racemes, arising from the bark of the old and young branches.
Fruit is a fleshy berry, 4" long, curiously shaped, and five angled with very high narrow longitudinal ridges. The fruit is called star fruit in common parlance due to its star shape in cross-section.
The fruits are translucent, yellow, pale green or pale golden brown when ripe and contain a clear acidic, juicy pulp and may be eaten fresh. They have very small, flat brown seeds. The fruit is rich in vitamin C and B, calcium, iron and minerals.
When slightly ripe the fruits can be made into stew, jams, jellies and pickles. The tree is tolerant to varying soil conditions. Cut back the older branches once in three years. It takes five years to fruit but blooms year round.
Native of Indonesia and China, Carambola is crown throughout India, especially in Malabar. Carambola juice removes stains from linen.
CHITRA RADHAKRISHNAN
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