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Description

The carambola tree is described by Neal (1965) as a tree that reaches a height of about 20 ft and has dense evergreen foliage. The leaves are described as half a foot long with 8 to 10 smooth, oval, paired (or nearly so) leaflets and one leaflet at the tip. Small red and white flowers appear in June and July on bare branches or at the base of the leaf. The fruit is waxy, greenish-yellow to orange in color, 2 to 5 inches long, and elliptical with five distinct wings. Two varieties are grown, one is sweet and can be eaten fresh, the other is strongly acidic and used for preserves. Carambola trees may bear one or two fruit crops per year in Hawaii.

Varieties

Information is limited at this time. ‘Kary’ was a cultivar developed by the Department of Horticulture, University of Hawaii for commercial planting. The fruit of this cultivar is sweet, firm-fleshed, and has a good shelf life. The ‘Kary’ cultivar was selected from a population of open-pollinated seedlings of ‘Sri Kembangan’ grown at the Poamoho experimental farm. Selected in 1980, the ‘Kary’ cultivar was distributed for propagation and testing at various locations throughout the state.
The tree has a rounded, compact canopy. Mature tree benefit from pruning. ‘Kary’ produces fruits in clusters that require thinning to produce larger marketable fruit.
‘Kary’ fruits mature in about 60 days after flowering. The fruit is about 4 to 5 inches long and 2.8 to 3.2 inches in cross section. Ripe fruits have deep yellow skin and bright orange-yellow flesh. The total soluble solids average about 17 %. The flavor is much superior to that of ordinary seedling carambolas found in Hawaii.
Budwood and scionwood are available in limited quantities from the Beaumont Research Center, Hawaii Agricultural Experiment Station, Hilo, HI 96720.

Uses

Information is limited at this time. Carambola fruits may be eaten fresh or made into preserves.

Propagation

No Information at this time.

Soil and Location

No Information at this time.

Cultural Practices

No Information at this time.

Fertilization

No Information at this time.

Harvesting

No Information at this time.

Postharvest

No Information at this time.

Production

Carambola is considered a tropical specialty fruit. In 1992, thirty farms produced carambola on a total of 40 acres of land. The number of farms is an unduplicated count and does not include home use. A total of 3,500 trees out of 3,680 trees bore fruit. From those trees 58,400 lb of fruit were produced. In 1992, the farm price for carambola was $0.51 per pound, and the total value of sales was $29,800.00

References

Hamilton, R. A. and P. J. Ito. 1992. ‘Kary’, An Improved Carambola for Commercial Planting. Commodity Fact Sheet CA-3(A) Fruit. Hawaii Cooperative Extension Service, CTAHR, University of Hawaii.

Neal, Marie C. In Gardens of Hawaii. Hawaii: Bishop Museum Press, 1965.

Statistics of Hawaiian Agriculture 1992. Hawaii Agricultural Statistics Service. Hawaii Department of Agriculture and United States Department of Agriculture.