Carambola

The Carambola or Star Fruit is an unique and flavorful fruit. The fruit’s flavor ranges from very sour to mildly sweetish and tastes something like a mix of apple, pineapple, and kiwi fruit. Slices cut in cross-section have the form of a star.

The carambola tree is medium fast growing, has a short-trunk, is multi-branched, bushy, broad, with a rounded crown and reaches 20 to 30′ in height and about the same in width. Pruning will keep the tree from getting too large while still allowing it to bear fruit prolifically. A good tropical fruit tree for limited space. As accent tree, the fruits have been used as “conversation pieces”.

The fruit is a fleshy, 4- to 5-celled berry with a waxy surface. Fruit are 2 to 6 inches (5-15 cm) in length, with 5 (rarely 4-8) prominent longitudinal ribs. They are star-shaped in cross section. The fruit skin is thin, light to dark yellow, and smooth, with a waxy cuticle. The pulp is light to dark yellow in color, translucent, crisp, very juicy, and without fiber.

Desirable varieties have an agreeable, subacid to sweet flavor. Fruit are sweetest when allowed to ripen on the tree. It takes about 60 to 75 days from fruit set to maturity depending upon variety, cultural practices, and weather.