Starfruit

Averrhoa carambola

Oxalidaceae

A five-pointed oxalis fruit — pretty in a salad, and a documented problem if the kidneys are already in trouble.

Ripe fruit is food for people with healthy kidneys. Oxalate and caramboxin make this a caution plate if kidneys are not well — skip it then.

Parts used: Ripe fruit
Traditional notes: Kitchen fruit · A garnish and a juice
Grow · USDA 6b: Tropical tree, USDA 10–11 A named tree in frost-free ground. A pot north is mostly foliage. In work: Jul · Aug · Sep · Oct
Harvest: When yellow and slightly soft. Green is for pickle, not dessert.

If anyone in the house has kidney disease, this is not the house fruit.
Ripe is yellow, not lime.

Safety

Chronic kidney disease A starfruit juice cleanse Known oxalate stone formers who have been told to limit

Lore

The Portuguese carambola stuck. Chinese yángtáo is sheep peach. The star is a party trick that made it a garnish in 1980s hotel fruit plates. The kidney caution is later, clinical, and not optional. A fruit can be both beautiful and the wrong fruit for someone.

The Herbarium — a teaching catalog, not a clinic. Traditional use is history, not a prescription. USDA 6b dates are a week either way, not a promise. Do not eat, drink, or harvest a plant you cannot name.