(with a pH of about 4.47) is made a cooling beverage. It can replace mango in making chutney. In Malaysia, it also is made into a jam, which is rather sweet.
Besides, the fruit can be preserved, which reduces its acidity. The flowers are
also sometimes preserved in sugar.
Medical interest
In the Philippines, the leaves serve as a paste on itches, swelling, rheumatism, mumps or skin eruptions. Elsewhere, they are used for bites of poisonous creatures. A leaf infusion is efficient against or as an after-birth tonic, while the flower infusion is used for thrush, cold, and cough. Malaysians use fermented or fresh bilimbi leaves to cure venereal diseases.
Other uses
Very acid bilimbis are employed to clean the kris blade, in Malaysia.
Distribution and habitat
Originated seemingly from the Moluccas, the species is cultivated or found semi-wild throughout Indonesia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Myanmar. It is common in other Southeast Asian countries. In India, where it is usually found in gardens, the bilimbi has gone wild in the warmest regions of the country.
Out of Asia, the tree is cultivated in Zanzibar. In 1793, the tree was introduced to Jamaica from Timor and after several years, was cultivated throughout Central and South America. Introduced to Queensland at the end of the 19th century, it has been commercialized in the region since then.
This is essentially tropical tree, less resistant to cold than the carambola, growing best in rich and well-drained soil (but also stand limestone and sand). It prefers evenly distributed rainfall over the year, but with a 2- to 3-month dry season. Therefore the species is not found, for example, in the wettest part of Malaysia. In Florida, where it is an occasional curiosity, the tree needs protections from wind and cold.
Tree description
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