Carambola 259
of Indonesia and Sri Lanka but it has been cultivated in southeast Asia and Malaysia
for many centuries. It is commonly grown in the provinces of Fukien, Kuangtung
and Kuangsi in southern China, in Taiwan and India. It is popular in the Philippines,
Queensland, Australia, and in some of the South Pacific islands, particularly Tahiti,
New Guinea, Guam, Hawaii and Netherlands. A sweet-fruited variety is grown in
China, Taiwan, Thailand, etc., and most of the trees in India are sour-fruited types.
The carambola is also grown in South Florida primarily as an ornamental tree that
produces fruit of unique flavor and relatively high ascorbic acid content. Smaller
amounts of carambola are grown for the fresh fruit market and for export to Europe.
Commercial acceptance has been limited because the fruit is susceptible to shipping
damage and requires storage below 70 ∞F to maintain optimum quality during shipment.
Carambola has relatively high levels of oxalic acid content that is comparable to that
of spinach and rhubarb.
(a)(b)
Fig. 14.2 (a) and (b) Fruiting branches of carambola.