Plant Library

Description:

A small, bushy evergreen variety that produces green, oval foliage and rosy-purple, bell shaped flowers; showy, oblong fruit with thin waxy skin; yellow flesh is both tangy and mildly sweet; excellent when used for pickles, chutneys, juice or preserves

Edible Qualities

Star Fruit is a medium-sized tree that is typically grown for its edible qualities. It produces yellow oblong fruit with lime green overtones and yellow flesh which are typically harvested when mature. The fruits have a tangy taste and a crunchy texture.

The fruit are most often used in the following ways:

• Fresh Eating
• Baking
• Preserves
• Juice-Making
• Pickling

Features & Attributes

Star Fruit has rich green evergreen foliage on a tree with a round habit of growth. The oval pinnately compound leaves remain green throughout the winter.

This is an evergreen tree with a more or less rounded form. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition. This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and should only be pruned after flowering to avoid removing any of the current season's flowers. It is a good choice for attracting birds and bees to your yard. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Aside from its primary use as an edible, Star Fruit is sutiable for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Orchard/Edible Landscaping

Planting & Growing

Star Fruit will grow to be about 25 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 20 feet. It has a high canopy with a typical clearance of 5 feet from the ground, and should not be planted underneath power lines. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 15 years. This is a self-pollinating variety, so it doesn't require a second plant nearby to set fruit.

This plant is typically grown in a designated edibles garden. It should only be grown in full sunlight. It is quite adaptable, prefering to grow in average to wet conditions, and will even tolerate some standing water. It may require supplemental watering during periods of drought or extended heat. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is quite intolerant of urban pollution, therefore inner city or urban streetside plantings are best avoided. This species is not originally from North America.