Bilimbi

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Bilimbi

Averrhoa bilimbi, commonly known as balimbing, bilimbi, bimbli, belimbing, blimbling, biling (and also bimbiri in Sinhala ), cucumber tree, tree sorrel, or kh? tàu is a close relative of the carambola
Carambola

Carambola or Starfruit is the fruit of Averrhoa carambola, a species of tree native to Indonesia, India and Sri Lanka. The tree and fruit is popular throughout Southeast Asia, Malaysia and parts of East Asia....
, of genus

Genus

A genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The taxonomic ranks are domain , kingdom , phylum, class , order , family , genus, and species....
Averrhoa

Averrhoa

Averrhoa is a genus of trees in the Oxalidaceae family, of the Oxalidales order , named after Averroes - a 12th century astronomer and philosopher....
, family

Family

Family denotes a group of people affiliated by a common ancestry, affinity or co-residence. Although the concept of consanguinity originally referred to relations by "blood," some cultural anthropology have argued that one must understand the idea of "blood" metaphorically, and that many societies understand 'family' through other concepts r...
Oxalidaceae

Oxalidaceae

The Oxalidaceae, or wood sorrel family, is a small family of eight genera of herbaceous plants, shrubs and small trees, with the great majority of the 900 species in the genus Oxalis ....
.

ibly originating on the Moluccas, Indonesia

Indonesia

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is an island country in South Asia, located about off the southern coast of India....
, Bangladesh

Bangladesh

, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a country in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south....
and Myanmar

Myanmar

Burma, officially the Union of Myanmar, is the largest country by geographical area in mainland Southeast Asia, or Indochina. The country is bordered by the People's Republic of China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, and the Bay of Bengal to the southwest with...
(Burma).

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Encyclopedia

Genus

Averrhoa

Averrhoa is a genus of trees in the Oxalidaceae family, of the Oxalidales order , named after Averroes - a 12th century astronomer and philosopher....
, family

Family

Oxalidaceae

The Oxalidaceae, or wood sorrel family, is a small family of eight genera of herbaceous plants, shrubs and small trees, with the great majority of the 900 species in the genus Oxalis ....
.

Distribution and habitat

Possibly originating on the Moluccas, Indonesia

Indonesia

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is an island country in South Asia, located about off the southern coast of India....
, Bangladesh

Bangladesh

Myanmar

Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India and north of Australia....
. In India

India

India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
, where it is usually found in gardens, the bilimbi has gone wild in the warmest regions of the country.

Outside of Asia

Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent. It covers 8.6% of the Earth's total surface area and, with over 4 billion people, it contains more than 60% of the world's current human population....
, the tree is cultivated in Zanzibar

Zanzibar

Zanzibar is part of the East African republic of Tanzania. It consists of the Zanzibar Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, 25?50 km off the coast of the mainland....
. In 1793, the bilimbi was introduced to Jamaica

Jamaica

Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length and as much as in width situated in the Caribbean Sea. It is about south of Cuba, and west of the island of Hispaniola, on which Haiti and the Dominican Republic are situated....
from Timor

Timor

Timor is an island at the south end of the Malay Archipelago, north of the Timor Sea. It is divided between the independent state of East Timor, , and West Timor, belonging to the Indonesian province of East Nusa Tenggara....
and after several years, was cultivated throughout Central

Central America

Central America is a central geography region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmus portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast....
and South America

South America

South America is the southern continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere....
. Introduced to Queensland

Queensland

Queensland is a States and territories of Australia of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory to the west, South Australia to the south-west and New South Wales to the south....
at the end of the 19th century

Century

A century is one hundred consecutive years.Centuries are numbered names of numbers in English#Ordinal_numbers in English and many other languages ....
, it has been grown commercially in the region since that time.

This is essentially a tropical tree, less resistant to cold than the carambola

Carambola

Carambola or Starfruit is the fruit of Averrhoa carambola, a species of tree native to Indonesia, India and Sri Lanka. The tree and fruit is popular throughout Southeast Asia, Malaysia and parts of East Asia....
, growing best in rich and well-drained soil

Soil

Soil is the naturally occurring, unconsolidated or loose covering on the Earth's surface. Soil is composed of particles of broken rock that have been altered by chemical and environmental processes including weathering and erosion....
(but also stands limestone

Limestone

File:Limestone Formation In Waitomo.jpgLimestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the mineral calcite . The deposition of limestone strata is often a by-product and indicator of biological activity in the geology record....
and sand

Sand

Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.As the term is used by geologists, sand particles range in diameter from 0.0625 to 2 millimeters....
). It prefers evenly distributed rainfall throughout the year, but with a 2- to 3-month dry season

Dry season

The dry season is a term commonly used when describing the weather in the tropics. The weather in the tropics is dominated by the tropical rain belt, which oscillation from the northern to the southern tropics over the course of the year....
. Therefore the species is not found, for example, in the wettest part of Malaysia

Malaysia

Malaysia is a federation that consists of States of Malaysia in Southeast Asia with a total landmass of . The capital city is Kuala Lumpur, while Putrajaya is the seat of the federal government....
. In Florida

Florida

Florida is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the northeast....
, where it is an occasional curiosity, the tree needs protection from wind and cold.

Tree description

The bilimbi tree is long-lived and reaches 5-10 m in height. Its trunk

Trunk

Trunk may refer to:In biology:*Trunk, torso*Trunk, an Elephant#Trunk*Trunk , a tree's central superstructureIn containers:*Trunk ...
is short and quickly divides up into ramification

Ramification (botany)

In botany, ramification is the divergence of the Plant stem and limbs of a plant into smaller ones, i.e. trunk into branches, branches into increasingly smaller branches, etc....
s. Bilimbi leaves, 30-60 cm long, are alternate, imparipinnate

Pinnate

Pinnate is a term used to describe feather-like or multi-divided features arising from both sides of a common axis in plant or animal structures, and comes from the Latin word pinna for "feather"....
and cluster at branch

Branch

A branch or tree branch is a woody structural Limb connected to but not part of the central trunk of a tree . Large branches are known as boughs and small branches are known as twigs.....
extremities. There are around 11 to 37 alternate or subopposite oblong leaflet

Leaflet

A leaflet in botany is a part of a compound leaf. A leaflet may resemble an entire leaf leaf, but it is not borne on a Plant stem as a leaf is, but rather on a vein of the whole leaf ....
s. The leaves are quite similar to those of the Otaheite gooseberry

Otaheite gooseberry

The Otaheite gooseberry , also called Malay gooseberry, Tahitian gooseberry, country gooseberry, star gooseberry, West India gooseberry or simply gooseberry tree, is one of the trees with edible fruit in the Phyllanthaceae family ....
.

Varieties

There are few cultivated varieties of bilimbi. However, it has been reported to have a sweet variety in the Philippines.

Nutritional value for 100 g of edible portion

Moisture
Moisture

Moisture generally refers to the presence of water, often in trace amounts.The moisture content is often an important aspect of various Food including cheese and many dried goods such as tea where excess moisture can promote Bacteria, Bacterial decay, Mold, or Rot over time....
94.2-94.7 g
Protein
Protein

Proteins are organic compounds made of amino acids arranged in a linear chain and joined together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of adjacent amino acid Residue ....
0.61 g
Ash
Ash (analytical chemistry)

In analytical chemistry, ashing is the process of mineralization for preconcentration of trace substances prior to chemical analysis.< Ash is the name given to all non-aqueous residue that remains after a sample is burned, and consist mostly of metal oxides....
0.31-0.40 g
Fiber
Fiber

Fiber or fibre is a class of materials that are continuous filaments or are in discrete elongated pieces, similar to lengths of yarn. They are very important in the biology of both plants and animals, for holding tissue s together....
0.6g
Phosphorus
Phosphorus

Phosphorus is the chemical element that has the symbol P and atomic number 15. The name comes from the and . A Valency nonmetal of the nitrogen group, phosphorus is commonly found in inorganic phosphate minerals....
11.1 mg
Calcium
Calcium

Calcium is the chemical element with the symbol Ca and atomic number 20. It has an atomic mass of 40.078 amu. Calcium is a soft grey alkaline earth metal, and is the fifth most abundant element by mass in the earth's Crust ....
3.4 mg
Iron
Iron

Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. Iron is a Group 8 element and period 4 element. Iron is lustrous and silvery in color....
1.01 mg
Thiamine
Thiamine

'Thiamine', or 'thiamin', sometimes called aneurin, is a water-soluble vitamin of the B complex , whose phosphate derivatives are involved in many cellular processes....
0.010 mg
Riboflavin
Riboflavin

Riboflavin , also known as vitamin B2, is an easily absorbed micronutrient with a key role in maintaining health in humans and animals....
0.026 mg
Carotene
Carotene

The term carotene is used for several related substances having the formula C40Hx, which are synthesized by plants but cannot be made by animals....
0.035 mg
Ascorbic Acid
Ascorbic acid

Ascorbic acid is a sugar acid with antioxidant properties. Its appearance is white to light-yellow crystals or powder. It is water-soluble. The L-enantiomer of ascorbic acid is commonly known as vitamin C....
15.5 mg
Niacin
Niacin

Niacin, also known as vitamin B3, is a water-soluble vitamin which prevents the Nutrition disorder pellagra. It is an organic compound with the chemical formula C6H5NO2....
0.302 mg

Culinary interest

In the rural parts of the Philippines, where it is commonly found as a backyard plant, it is eaten either raw or dipped in rock salt (or other savoury powders - masala
Masala

Masala ; ) is a term used in South Asian cuisines to describe a mixture of spices. A masala can either be a combination of dried spices, or a paste made from a mixture of spices and other ingredients--often garlic, ginger and onions....
), as a snack. It could either be curried or added as flavoring for the common Filipino dish sinigang
Sinigang

Sinigang is a Philippine cuisine soup that is eaten with rice. Similar to Thailand's tom yam, its characteristic flavor comes from tamarind which gives it a sour taste and overwhelms the taste of its meat....
. The uncooked bilimbi is prepared as relish

Relish

A relish is a cooking pickling, chopped vegetable or fruit food item which is typically used as a condiment. The item generally consists of discernible vegetable or fruit pieces in a sauce, although the sauce is subordinate in character to the vegetable or fruit pieces....
and served with rice

Rice

Rice is a staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in tropical Latin America, and East Asia, South Asia and Southeast Asia, making it the second-most consumed cereal grain, after maize....
and bean

Bean

Bean is a common name for large plant seeds of several genus of the Family Fabaceae used for human food or animal feed.The whole young pods of bean plants, if picked before the pods ripen and dry, can be tender enough to eat whole, whether cooked or raw....
s in Costa Rica

Costa Rica

Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the east and south, the Pacific Ocean to the west and south and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
. In the Far East

Far East

The Far East is a term current in English language to refer to the countries of East Asia. The term is often expanded to also include Southeast Asia and South Asia, for economic and cultural reasons, for example because Buddhism is common to East Asia, Southeast Asia and South Asia....
, where the tree originated, it is sometimes added to curry

Curry

Curry is the English language description of any of a general variety of spiced dishes, best known in Asian cuisines, especially South Asian cuisine....
. Bilimbi juice (with a pH

pH is a measure of the Acid or Base of a solution. It is defined as the cologarithm of the Activity of dissolved hydrogen ions . Hydrogen ion activity coefficients cannot be measured experimentally, so they are based on theoretical calculations....
of about 4.47) is made into a cooling beverage. In Indonesia

Indonesia

The Republic of Indonesia , is a transcontinental country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Comprising Islands of Indonesia, it is the world's largest Archipelago state....
, it is added to some dishes, substituting for tamarind or tomato.

Additionally, the fruit can be preserved, which reduces its acidity. The flowers are also sometimes preserved in sugar

Sugar

Sugar is a class of edible crystalline substances, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose. Human taste buds interpret its flavor as sweet. Sugar as a basic food carbohydrate primarily comes from sugar cane and from sugar beet, but also appears in fruit, honey, sorghum, sugar maple , and in many other sources....
.

In another part of Indonesia

Indonesia

The Republic of Indonesia , is a transcontinental country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Comprising Islands of Indonesia, it is the world's largest Archipelago state....
, Aceh

Aceh

Aceh is a Provinces of Indonesia of Indonesia, located on the northern tip of the island of Sumatra. Its full name is Nanggr?e Aceh Darussalam....
, it is preserved by sun-drying, the sun-dried bilimbi is called asam sunti. Bilimbi and asam sunti are popular in Aceh

Aceh

Aceh is a Provinces of Indonesia of Indonesia, located on the northern tip of the island of Sumatra. Its full name is Nanggr?e Aceh Darussalam....
nese culinary. It can replace mango

Mango

Mangoes belong to the genus Mangifera, consisting of numerous species of tropical fruiting trees in the flowering plant family Anacardiaceae....
in making chutney

Chutney

Chutney , is a term for a variety of sweet and spicy condiments, usually involving a fresh, chopped primary vegetable or fruit with added seasonings....
. In Malaysia

Malaysia

Kerala

Kerala is a Indian Union States and territories of India located in the southwestern part of India. With an Arabian Sea coastline on the west, it is bordered on the north by Karnataka and by Tamil Nadu on the south and east....
India

India

India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
it is used for making pickles, while around Maharashtra

Maharashtra

Maharashtra is a States and territories of India located on the western coast of India. Maharashtra is a part of Western India. It is India's List of states of India by area and List of states of India by population....
and Goa

Goa

Goa is India's smallest states and territories of India in terms of area and the List of states and territories of India by population. Located on the west coast of India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its western...
the fruit is commonly eaten raw, with salt and spice.

Medical interest

In the Philippines, the leaves serve as a paste

Paste

Paste may refer to:*Glue, an adhesive, which may be a paste*Paste , a Mexican pastry*Paste , an American music and entertainment magazine*Paste , substances rheologically similar to toothpaste...
on itch

Itch

Itch is an unpleasant sensation that evokes the desire or reflex to scratch. Itch has resisted many attempts to classify it as any one type of sensory experience....
es, swelling, rheumatism

Rheumatism

Rheumatism or Rheumatic disorder is a non-specific term for medical problems affecting the heart, bones, joints, kidney, skin and lung. The study of, and therapeutic interventions in, such disorders is called rheumatology....
, mumps

MUMPS

MUMPS , or alternatively M, is a programming language created in the late 1960s, originally for use in the Health care. It was designed for the production of multi-user database-driven applications....
or skin eruptions. Elsewhere, they are used for bites of poisonous creatures. A leaf infusion

Infusion

An infusion is the outcome of Wikt:steep plants with a desired flavour in water or edible oil.An infusion is very similar to a decoction but is used with herbs that are more volatile or dissolve readily in water, or release their active ingredients easily in oil....
is efficient against or as an after-birth tonic, while the flower infusion is used for thrush

Candidiasis

Candidiasis, commonly called yeast infection or thrush, is a fungal infection of any of the Candida species, of which Candida albicans is the most common....
, cold, and cough

Cough

A cough , in medicine, is a sudden and often repetitively occurring defense reflex which helps to clear the large breathing passages from excess secretions, irritants, foreign particles and microbes....
. Malaysians use fermented or fresh bilimbi leaves to cure venereal diseases.

It was heard that eating Milimbi cause Cancer. I have seen this information displayed in a Cancer Hospital (Amala Hospital, Thrissur Dist, Kerala, India). I am not sure about the authenticity of this information.

Other uses

In Malaysia, very acidic bilimbis is used to clean the kris
Kris

The kris or keris is a distinctive, asymmetrical dagger indigenous to Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Southern Thailand and the southern Philippines....
blade.

Bilimbi

Distribution and habitat

Tree description

Varieties

Nutritional value for 100 g of edible portion

Culinary interest

Medical interest

Other uses

External links