Life Span
Perennial
Annual and Biennials
Origin
Southeastern Asia
India, Philippines, Southeast Asia
Types
Starfruit
Lagenaria siceraria
Habitat
Subtropical climates, Tropical regions
Moist Soils, Tropical Climate
USDA Hardiness Zone
10-14
5-7
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 22, 23, 24
A1, A2, A3, H1, H2, 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Arching/Fountain-shaped
Vining/Climbing
Flower Color
Pink, Rose, Violet
Yellow, Orange, Dark Green
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Yellow, Orange, Light Yellow, Lemon yellow, Yellow green, Gold
Yellow, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Light Green
-
Leaf Shape
Oblovate
Palmate
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall
Summer, Fall
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Slow
Very Fast
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral
Neutral
Soil Drainage
Average
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Spring, Spring, Late Spring, Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer
Indeterminate
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings, Stem Planting
Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Low
Medium
Watering Requirements
Average Water Needs, Requires watering in the growing season
Requires watering in the growing season, water on alternate days
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral
Neutral
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Average
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Pruning
Prune in winter, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves
Cut out old flower stalks, Prune after flowering, Remove branches that rub together, Remove dead or diseased plant parts
Fertilizers
Fertilize every year
High potassium diluted feed of 5-10-5, Nitrogen, Potassium
Pests and Diseases
Red blotch
Army-worms, Bacteria wilt, Bacterial leaf spot, Blight, Cucumber beetles, Cutworms, Fusarium leaf spot, Leaf rust, Red spider mite, Striped cucumber beetles
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Full Sun, Salt and Soil Compaction, Shallow soil
Flower Petal Number
Single
Single
Foliage Texture
Medium
Coarse
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Matte
Attracts
Birds, Butterflies
Bees, Flies, Flying insects
Allergy
Kidney Stone
Hypoglycaemic Coma, Irregular Heart Rhythm
Aesthetic Uses
-
Decorating walls, Ornamental use
Beauty Benefits
-
Anti-ageing, Making cosmetics
Environmental Uses
Air purification, Food for birds, Food for insects, Nesting sites for birds, Prevent Soil Erosion
Food for animals, Insect Repellent
Medicinal Uses
Anti-oxidant, Antioxidants, High blood pressure, Nutrients
Anti-fungal, Blood disorders, Culinary Usage, Diabetes, Gastrointestinal disorders, Laxative, Nutritive, Weight loss
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Seeds
Fruits
Other Uses
Oil is used in perfume, soaps, creams, etc., Used As Food, Used for its medicinal properties
Cosmetics, Culinary use, Repellent, Used in making musical instruments
Used As Indoor Plant
No
No
Used As Outdoor Plant
Yes
Yes
Garden Design
Edible, Fruit / Fruit Tree, Tropical
Dried Flower/Everlasting, Vine
Botanical Name
AVERRHOA carambola
Lagenaria siceraria
Common Name
Carambola, Starfruit
calabash, bottle gourd, white-flowered gourd, opo squash
In Hindi
carambola पेड़
लौकी
In German
Sternfrucht Baum
Flaschenkürbis
In French
arbre carambole
Lagenaria siceraria
In Spanish
árbol de carambola
Lagenaria siceraria
In Greek
carambola δέντρο
Τσότρα
In Portuguese
árvore de carambola
Cabaça
In Polish
karambola drzewo
Tykwa pospolita
In Latin
carambola ligno
utrem cucurbita
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Oxalidales
Cucurbitales
Family
Oxalidaceae
Cucurbitaceae
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Subfamily
-
Papilionoideae
Importance of Carambola and Bottle Gourd
Want to have the most appropriate plant for your garden? You might want to know the importance of Carambola and Bottle Gourd. Basically, these two plants vary in many aspects. Compare Carambola and Bottle Gourd as they differ in many characteristics such as their life, care, benefits, facts, etc. Every gardener must at least have the slightest clue about the plants he wants to plant in his garden. Compare their benefits, which differ in many ways like facts and uses. The medicinal use of Carambola is Anti-oxidant, Antioxidants, High blood pressure and Nutrients whereas of Bottle Gourd is Anti-fungal, Blood disorders, Culinary Usage, Diabetes, Gastrointestinal disorders, Laxative, Nutritive and Weight loss. Carambola has beauty benefits as follows: while Bottle Gourd has beauty benefits as follows: .
Compare Facts of Carambola vs Bottle Gourd
How to choose the best garden plant for your garden depending upon its facts? Here garden plant comparison will help you to solve this query. Compare the facts of Carambola vs Bottle Gourd and know which one to choose. As garden plants have benefits and other uses, allergy is also a major drawback of plants for some people. Allergic reactions of Carambola are Kidney Stone whereas of Bottle Gourd have Hypoglycaemic Coma and Irregular Heart Rhythm respectively. Having a fruit bearing plant in your garden can be a plus point of your garden. Carambola has showy fruits and Bottle Gourd has showy fruits. Also Carambola is not flowering and Bottle Gourd is not flowering . You can compare Carambola and Bottle Gourd facts and facts of other plants too.