Editing Carambola (section)

==Description==
The carambola tree has a short trunk with many branches, reaching up to {{cvt|30|ft|m|0|order=flip}} in height.<ref name=jm/> Its deciduous leaves are {{cvt|6|-|10|in|cm|0|order=flip}} long, with 5 to 11 [[ovate (leaf)|ovate]] leaflets medium-green in color.<ref name=jm/> Flowers are [[lilac (color)|lilac]] in color, with purple streaks, and are about {{cvt|1/4|in|mm|round=5|order=flip}} wide. 

The showy fruits have a thin, waxy [[pericarp]], orange-yellow skin, and crisp, yellow flesh with juice when ripe.<ref name=jm/> The fruit is about {{cvt|2|to|6|in|cm|0|order=flip}} in length and is an oval shape. It usually has five or six prominent longitudinal ridges.<ref name=jm/> In cross-section, it resembles a star.<ref name=jm/><ref name=cabi/> The flesh is translucent and light yellow to yellow in color. Each fruit can have 10 to 12 flat light brown seeds about {{cvt|1/4|-|1/2|in|mm|round=5|order=flip|abbr=on}} in width and enclosed in gelatinous [[aril]]. Once removed from the fruit, they lose viability within a few days.<ref name="crfg"/><ref name="crane">{{Cite book |author =Jonathan H. Crane |title =The Carambola (Star Fruit) |publisher =Florida Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida |series =Fact Sheet HS-12 |year =1994 |url =http://university.uog.edu/cals/people/PUBS/Carambol/MG26900.pdf |access-date =2012-08-08 |archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20121119035539/http://university.uog.edu/cals/people/PUBS/Carambol/MG26900.pdf |archive-date =2012-11-19 |url-status =dead}}</ref><ref name="fi">{{Cite web |url=http://www.fruitsinfo.com/StarFruit-Exotic-fruits.php |title=Star Fruit |publisher=Fruitsinfo |access-date=August 9, 2012}}</ref>

Like the closely related [[Averrhoa bilimbi|bilimbi]], there are two main types of carambola: the small sour (or tart) type and the larger sweet type. The sour varieties have a higher [[oxalic acid]] content than the sweet type. A number of cultivars have been developed in recent years. The most common cultivars grown commercially include the sweet types "Arkin" ([[Florida]]), "Yang Tao" ([[Taiwan]]), "Ma fueng" ([[Thailand]]), "Maha" ([[Malaysia]]), and "Demak" ([[Indonesia]]) and the sour types "Golden Star", "Newcomb", "Star King", and "Thayer" (all from Florida). Some of the sour varieties like "Golden Star" can become sweet if allowed to ripen.<ref name=jm/><ref name="crfg">{{Cite web |url=http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/carambola.html |title=''Averrhoa carambola'' L. |publisher=California Rare Fruit Growers, Inc. |access-date=August 9, 2012 |archive-date=August 22, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120822154541/http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/carambola.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="crane"/>

===Common names===
Carambola is known by many names across its regions of cultivation, including ''khế'' in [[Vietnam]], ''balimbing'' in the [[Philippines]], ''belimbing'' in [[Indonesia]] and [[Malaysia]], ''ma fen'' in [[China]], ''kamaranga'' in India, and ''carambolo'' in Spanish-speaking countries.<ref name=jm/><ref name=cabi/>