Description of averoya, advice on agricultural technology, independent transplantation and reproduction, difficulties in cultivation and pest control, interesting facts, species. Averoia (Averrhoa), or as it is also called Averoa, is a member of the genus of plants of the Oxalidaceae family. The homeland of the plant is considered to be the territories of India, Indonesia and the island regions of Malaysia and the Philippines.
It bears the synonymous name Averoi, but the plant received these common names in honor of the eastern healer Averroes, who lived in the 12th century. He was just an outstanding person against the background of those times. His full name sounds like Abul-Walid Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Qurtubi, but he is better known as Ibn Rashid. He was not only an expert in medicine, but also the author of numerous works on logic, philosophy of Aristotle and Islam, theology and religious law of the Malakite madhhab, and also knew geography, mathematics and physics, astronomy and celestial mechanics. He was well versed in politics and psychology.
But among the people, averoy is called a "cucumber tree", because of the similarity of the fruits with this vegetable, they are green in color, crunchy with a glossy peel. Or they call it "carambola", "starfruit", since one of the varieties of averoi bears fruit with an unusual shape of oval fruits with cut grooves, from which ridges are formed, and when this fruit is cut transversely, a decorative star is obtained.
Averyoia is a shrub or small tree that can reach a height of 1–1.5 meters indoors. But in the natural environment, the height of the plant reaches 10 m. The color of the bark of the branches and trunk is gray-brown.
The branches of averoy are numerous and leaves grow on them in pairs and alternately, which are narrowed to one pointed leaf (the structure is pinnate). At the stem itself, the leaves are smaller on the stem, and at the apex of the shoot their size is increasing. In its shape, each leaf is elongated-ovoid and there is a narrowing of the leaf plate towards the apex. In length, they vary from 3.5 cm to 7 cm with a width of 2-4 cm. The color is deep green. If the dry season comes, the foliage begins to fly around.
A racemose inflorescence is collected from the flowers. The color of the petals of the bud can vary: there are purple-red or with a pinkish tint. The calyx is five-leafed, and the corolla of the bud consists of five petals, with a pentahedral ovary. The size of the flowers is not large and they are attached to short pedicels, mainly located on short branches without leaves or a trunk.
The fruit of averoi is very different in shape and depends on the variety of the plant. The fruit is usually ovoid and deeply grooved. It contains seeds, and the pulp tastes sour.
Spreading has a very slow growth rate and since it has been growing for many years, it will be able to delight the eye with its foliage, flowers and fruits for a long time with proper care.
Tips for growing averoi, care features
- Lighting and choosing a place for the pot. For averoy, a place where both solar streams and an openwork shadow are present - these are the windows of the east and west locations. Windows with direct sunlight (facing the south side of the light) must be covered with tulles or curtains made of gauze or light translucent fabrics, as sunburn of the foliage may occur between 12:00 and 16:00. But in the northern direction of the window, the averoya will be greatly inhibited by the already slow growth.
- Content temperature. The plant is very thermophilic, and this is especially true for a young age. Heat indicators of 22-25 degrees are most suitable, but intense heat will harm the tree, and leaves will begin to drop. In the autumn-winter period, averoya rests and the heat indicators must be lowered to 10-15 degrees. But there is evidence that adult specimens are able to tolerate a short-term drop in temperatures to zero.
- Air humidity. It will be necessary to carry out frequent spraying of the crown of the averoi, since it lives in natural conditions with high levels of moisture in the air. This is especially true of the time when the temperature rises above the specified maximum (25 degrees).
- Watering and fertilizing. Averoya requires constant moist soil, as it grows in conditions of suspended moisture, but it is not worth swamping the soil. Abundant and regular watering is carried out from the spring months to the beginning of the autumn days. When winter comes, it is necessary to water it sparingly, not allowing the substrate to dry out, since the plant will immediately respond by dumping the foliage. Use a soft warm liquid, you can take distilled or filtered water. It is necessary to apply fertilizers only during the period of activation of the growing season of the plant with regularity every ten days. It is necessary to dilute a complex mineral solution in the water for irrigation, for indoor plants. With the advent of the dormant period, feeding stops.
- Transplantation and selection of a substrate. A change of soil and pot must be carried out in the spring. If the plant is still young, then this procedure is performed every year, and over time, it will be necessary to change the container and soil only once every 2-3 years. Small holes are made in the bottom of the pot so that excess moisture can easily flow out, a layer of 2-3 cm of drainage material (for example, medium fraction expanded clay, tracing paper or broken shards) is poured into the container - this will help keep moisture in the container for longer.
The substrate should have a slightly acidic reaction, be loose, nutritious with good moisture and air conductivity. You can mix a soil mixture based on humus, sod, leafy soil, coarse sand and peat soil (in a ratio of 1: 2: 1: 1: 1).
Recommendations for self-propagation of carambola
The plant propagates by seed or layering. Seeds are usually planted immediately after harvest. They are poured onto a moistened substrate (peat-sandy or mixed peat with perlite) and it is necessary to powder it a little with soil on top. The container with the seedlings is covered with a glass or polyethylene lid and the seedlings are periodically moistened and ventilated. The place where germination is taking place should be warm, with a temperature of 20 degrees. When a pair of leaves develops on the sprouts, you can dive into individual pots with a diameter of 7 cm. The soil should consist of turf soil, leaf and river sand (all parts are equal).
Cuttings are cut in spring and rooted in wet sand or sandy-peat substrate, pre-moistened. The twigs must be wrapped and placed in a warm place so that they take root. When the signs of growth begin to appear, new buds and leaves will begin to appear on the plant, you will have to transplant into pots with soil that suits an adult averoya.
Air layering can be done by yourself. The lower branch of the shrub is bent to the soil (in the same pot or in a container with a substrate, placed next to it) and is held in place with a hairpin or wire. When the cuttings have their own roots, it must be separated from the mother plant (or transplanted).
Difficulties in growing carambola
Of the pests, a spider mite can be noted, which, piercing the leaves with its proboscis, feeds on life sap. The averoia stops growing, and the affected leaves fly around. They are also covered with a thin cobweb, which is clearly visible in the internodes. To combat the pest, solutions are used:
- soapy, 30 gr.laundry soap (or any powder) is rubbed and dissolved in water (about a bucket), then the product is filtered and the plant is processed;
- oily, rosemary essential oil is bought and a couple of its drops are injected into a liter jar of water;
- you can buy alcoholic tincture of echinacea or calendula at the pharmacy.
These funds are applied to a cotton pad and wipe the leaves and branches of the averoi with it, you can spray the place where the plant pot stands. After a week, the operation must be repeated. However, if sparing methods do not work, then you will have to use special insecticides (for example, Fitovir, Confidor or Confidor-maxi).
The plant is susceptible to diseases such as:
- Chlorosis (iron deficiency)when the shade of the leaf blade fades, and the veins on the surface are painted in a dark green color. In this case, it is necessary to spray with copper sulfate or to add a preparation containing iron (for example, "Mr. Color").
- Anthracnose, fungal disease, leaves are covered with dark brown or red-brown spots, sometimes with a yellow rim (size 1, 5–12, 5 mm). Bordeaux liquid (1%) or preparations such as "Fitosporin", as well as "Baktofit" or "Trichoderm" are used for struggle and treatment.
Types of averoi
- Averoya bilimbi (Averrhoa bilimbi). The plant is found under the name averoya bilimba or cucumber tree. The homeland of this exotic fruit is the territory of Indonesia. A plant with a tree-like shape, evergreen foliage, with a high growth rate. Its height can reach 6 m (in areas with a tropical climate, there are also 10-meter specimens). The trunk is single and it does not differ in length; several large upright branches originate from it. The leaf petioles are long, with dense pubescence at the base. The leaf blades are divided, pinnate, each such leaf has up to 14–40 leaves, which are located on the petiole almost opposite. The length of each leaf blade can reach 8–15 cm with a width of 3–5 cm. Their shape is elongated-ovoid, asymmetric, there is a sharp point at the top, and roundness at the base. As soon as it gets dark, the leaves of the tree begin to roll up into a tube in pairs. The plant has small flowers, which are painted in a yellowish-green or purple hue, the surface is covered with a dark purple speck. Loose inflorescences are collected from them, which include up to 15-20 buds. Their location is right on the trunk or old branches, practically devoid of foliage, and they grow in the leaf axils. After flowering, fruits ripen in the form of small cucumbers. Their length ranges from 5 to 10 cm. The averoi's “cucumbers” are covered with a thin peel, with a shiny surface. When the fruit is immature, its color is bright green and it is very crispy, later, with maturation, the color changes to yellow. The pulp of this green color variety is similar in consistency to jelly, very juicy and strongly acidic. On one adult tree, up to hundreds of "cucumber" fruits ripen in a season.
- Averrhoa carambola (Averrhoa carambola). Can often be found under the name Carambola or Carambola. Under natural conditions, carambola is found on the lands of India, Malaysia, Indonesia and Bangladesh, the islands of the Philippines and Sri Lanka. The usual place of its settlement is those areas where the tropical and subtropical climate invariably prevails, and it can rise to an absolute height (altitude above sea level) of 1200 m. Humidity with normal growth must be increased (more than 1800 mm / m2). Interestingly, until now, many of the listed countries argue about the place of the first origin of the averoi of this variety, but they still assume that it could be the islands of Indonesia (Mollukskie) or Sri Lanka. The plant has long been cultivated by people for their needs on the Indian peninsula in the countries of Southwest Asia. Naturally, the ancient cultivation sites have survived to this day, but as the climate changes, and the plant has acclimatized and began to settle even further, occupying more and more land areas. Today, the cannon averoy can already be found in China and the Australian continent (Queensland), in the regions of West Africa (in Ghana), including the islands of Oceania, Brazil, the United States and Israel.
The world leader supplying carom to the market is Malaysia, the fruits of which are supplied to Asia and European markets, but for production purposes it is also grown in India, the USA, Guyana, Australia, Israel and the Philippines.
This exotic fruit was brought to Russia only at the end of the 20th century, and fruits from Thailand, Israel and Brazil are supplied to the markets.
The growth rate of the averoi carom is as slow as that of the previous species. However, over time, this evergreen tree reaches a height of 10 meters in natural conditions. The crown is branched, differs in multiple shoots. The stem grows either single, or several of them may appear. Leaves are divided, pinnate, consisting of separate leaf blades. The crown in width can be measured from 6 to 7.5 m. The leaves are distinguished by an ovoid shape and pointed at the top, in length they can be measured in 3.5-4 cm, 2-3 cm wide. The foliage of the plant is very sensitive and immediately reacts to a sharp increasing lighting, changing weather, or simply touching (collapses).
Small fluffy inflorescences are collected from the flowers. The color of the buds is pinkish-purple. Flowers are placed in the leaf axils.
Interesting facts about averoya
The flowers of the averoi bilimbi variety also have edible properties, they are candied, and then used to decorate dishes and desserts. The fruits, which resemble cucumbers in appearance, are very rich in vitamin C. Since they are not consumed raw, they are used to make sauces and seasonings, and you can also successfully cook jams and jellies from them or make wonderful soft drinks. But the leaf blades, buds and fruits are widely used for medicinal purposes. For example, on the territory of Malaysia, the juice of the "cucumber tree" is used for instilling the eyes and it is considered to have extraordinary healing and even magical properties. Since the fruits are full of acid (also oxalic), with the help of juice or pulp, it is possible to bleach laundry, remove rust or even clean metal products.
Wine is made from the juice of averoi carambola in some countries. And also the taste of carambola fruit cannot be accurately conveyed, they combine shades: gooseberry, apple and cucumber at the same time, and some feel the taste of plum, apple and grapes. The scent itself is very similar to the scent of jasmine, but sometimes it is a mixture of lemon, plum and pineapple flowers.
An unripe fruit is considered a vegetable, and a ripe "star" exotic is considered a fruit. As soon as you touch the leaves of the aeroia tree, on which the fruits grow, with your hands, the foliage will immediately curl up into a tube. The same happens with the onset of night time. In Indian cooking, starfish are used to make only decorations for dishes, not to eat them.
The "starfruit" fruit can perfectly quench your thirst and contains a lot of nutrients. Its mass, in a mature state, usually reaches 200 grams. Often the fruits of averoi carom are also used in cosmetology, since there is a possibility of removing stains on the skin.
The fruits help to quickly restore the lack of nutrients in the human body. Since they contain a minimum amount of calories, it is believed that they contribute to weight loss.
It is dangerous to get addicted to food that includes the fruits of averoi and drink drinks containing its juice for people with high acidity.
How to grow carambola from seeds, see here:
