Билимби: Описание дерева и его распространение.

Species of tree

Averrhoa bilimbi (commonly known as bilimbi, cucumber tree, or tree sorrel) is a fruit bearing tree of the genus Averrhoa, family Oxalidaceae. It is believed to be originally native to the Maluku Islands of Indonesia but has naturalized and is common throughout Southeast Asia. It is cultivated in parts of tropical South Asia and the Americas. It bears edible extremely sour fruits. It is a close relative of the carambola tree.

Averrhoa bilimbi is a small tropical tree reaching up to 15m in height. It is often multitrunked, quickly dividing into ramifications. Bilimbi leaves are alternate, pinnate, measuring approximately 30–60 cm in length. Each leaf contains 11 37 leaflets; ovate to oblong, 2–10 cm long, and 1–2 cm wide, and cluster at branch extremities. The leaves are quite similar to those of the Otaheite gooseberry. The tree is cauliflorous with 18–68 flowers in panicles that form on the trunk and other branches. The flowers are heterostylous, borne in a pendulous panicle inflorescence. There flower is fragrant, corolla of 5 petals 10–30 mm long, yellowish green to reddish purple. The fruit is ellipsoidal, elongated, measuring about 4 – 10 cm and sometimes faintly 5 angled. The skin is smooth to slightly bumpy, thin, and waxy turning from light green to yellowish green when ripe.

A. bilimbi is believed to be originally native to Moluccas, Indonesia, the species is now cultivated and found throughout Indonesia, Timor Leste, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Maldives, Myanmar (Burma), and Malaysia. It is also 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. It is also seen in coastal regions of South India. Outside of Asia, the tree is cultivated in Zanzibar. In 1793, the bilimbi was introduced to Jamaica from Timor and after several years, was cultivated throughout Central and South America where it is known as mimbro. In Suriname, this fruit is known as lange birambi. Introduced to Queensland at the end of the 19th century, it has been grown commercially in the region since that time. which reduces its acidity.

The fruit contains high levels of oxalate. Acute kidney failure due to tubular necrosis caused by oxalate has been recorded in several people who drank the concentrated juice on continuous days as treatment for high cholesterol.

In Malaysia, very acidic bilimbis are used to clean kris blades. In the Philippines, it is often used in rural places as an alternative stain remover. In the region of Addu in Maldives, the flowers of the bilimbi plant were commonly used in the 20th century as a cloth dye.