Starfruit or Hua hōkū

Description:

The Averrhoa carambola is a small, slow-growing evergreen tree that has branches that droop and wood that is a whitish reddish color. The leaves are a light green color, each measuring 15-20 cm in length. The leaflets fold together at night and are reactive to light. The leaves are extremely sensitive to shock, so when shaken abruptly, the leaves tend to close up. Averrhoa carambola produce lilac-colored flowers in the axils of leaves, towards the end of twigs. They are arranged in small clusters, producing bell shaped groups, at about 6 mm wide.

Habitat:

This Averrhoa carambola was found in Mākaha, O‘ahu.

Notes:

The Averrhoa carambola produces a sweet fruit called starfruit, which is said to resemble the shape of a star. The starfruit, or the carambola, is the fruit produced by a tree called the Averrhoa carambola, a tree native to the Phillippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. The fruit is very popular throughout Southeast Asia, and can also be cultivated throughout non-indigenous tropical areas. The fruit produced ranges from 2-6 inches in length, forming an oval shape. It has five ridges that curve, but in cetain instances, it can have as few as four ridges or as much as eight. The name starfruit refers to the cross section of the fruit, which resembles a star. Starfruit has a texture that is smooth and thin. When the fruit is upripe, it has a green waxy color. When ripe, the fruit turns a dark yellow color.