THE CARAMBOLA IN HAWAII 



By Vaughan MacCaughey. 



THE carambola (Averrhoa carambola) is one of the tropical 

 fruits which were introduced into the Hawaiian Islands 

 in very early times, following the discovery of the archipelago 

 by Europeans. It is thoroughly established in many gardens 

 and plantations. The fruit is sold in the island markets and 

 is utilized in a variety of ways. The carambola is practically 

 unknown in the continental United States, although it is widely 

 planted in tropical regions, and grows successfully in southern 

 Florida and southern California. It is native to the East 

 Indies, but is now widely cultivated in southern Asia, the West 

 Indies and other tropical countries. The genus was named 

 by Linnaeus after Averhoes, a celebrated Arabian philosopher 

 ( L126-1198 A. D.). Carombola is the East Indian name for 

 the species. The Hindu name is Kamrak; the British in India 

 call it the Coromandel gooseberry. 



The genus belongs to the family Oxalidaceae, which is 

 represented in the mainland United States only by the little 

 herbs of Oxalis and related genera. The family is wholly 

 absent from the indigenous Hawaiian flora, and is represented 

 only by introduced species. The Averrhoas comprise two or 

 three arborescent species, extensively planted throughout the 

 tropics. They are commonly referred to by botanical writers 

 as natives of the East Indies, but there seems to be a question 

 as to whether all the species are not really tropical American 

 in origin, and carried to the East Indies and India by the early 

 Portugese and Spanish traders. There is considerable evidence 



