Karmal / Carombola Apple
Averrhoa carambola
Also known as Star Fruit Tree
- Habit
- Tree
- Found in India
- West Bengal, Karnataka, Kerala & more
- Flowering
- May-August
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Averrhoa carambola
- Genus
- Averrhoa
- Family
- Oxalidaceae
- Habit
- Tree
- Native to
- Indonesia
- Distribution
- Cultivated in tropics
- Found in India
- West Bengal, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Goa, Mizoram, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Telangana, Gujarat, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tripura
- Flowering & fruiting
- May-August
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf arrangement
- AlternaterecordedOne leaf per node, arranged in a spiral or zigzag up the stem.“The compound leaves are soft, medium-green, they are spirally arranged around the branches in an alternate fashion.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf type
- Pinnately compoundrecordedLeaflets are arranged in rows along a central stalk, like a feather.“The pinnate leaves have a single terminal leaflet and 5 to 11 nearly opposite leaflets, each leaf is 15–20 cm long, and the 3.8–9 cm long leaflets are ovate or ovate-oblong in shap” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf shape
- OvaterecordedEgg-shaped, broader near the base.“The pinnate leaves have a single terminal leaflet and 5 to 11 nearly opposite leaflets, each leaf is 15–20 cm long, and the 3.8–9 cm long leaflets are ovate or ovate-oblong in shap” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf surface
- PubescentrecordedCovered in short, soft hairs.“The top sides of the leaves are smooth and the undersides are finely hairy and whitish.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
Characters marked “recorded” are for Karmal itself; the rest are typical of the Oxalidaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Redrecorded“The flowers are arranged in small clusters on the ends of the branches or sometimes on the larger stems and trunk, each cluster is attached to the tree with red stalks.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Flower arrangement
- PaniclerecordedA branching cluster of clusters.“The bell-shaped, perfect flowers, are produced in loose panicles that are much-branched with pedicellate flowers;” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
- Fruit
- Berry
Characters marked “recorded” are for Karmal itself; the rest are typical of the Oxalidaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Hindi
- Karmal करमल
- Bengali
- কামরাঙ্গা
- Tamil
- Tamarattai
- Kannada
- ಕರ್ಮಲ್, ಕರ್ಮಲು Karmal, ಕಮರಾಕ್ಷಿ Kamaraakshi
- Malayalam
- Caturappuli
- Sinhala
- කාමරංගා, කාඹරංකා
About Karmal
A member of the Oxalidaceae family, Carombola apple (Averrhoa carambola) is a tree. In India it has been recorded in West Bengal, Karnataka, Kerala and 19 other states. Flowering and fruiting run from May to August.
Uses
In practice it is grown for parts that are eaten and long used in traditional medicine. Those medicinal uses are traditional attributions, not medical advice.
Oxalidaceae
Wood sorrel family
Karmal belongs to the Oxalidaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
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