Fruits are a good source of Vitamin C and are eaten and also used to produce sugar and spices. The fruits are combined with pepper and eaten to cause sweating when people are feeling "under the weather", the fruits are used as treatment for coughs, thiamine deficiency, and abdominal discomfort, a paste of pickled fruits is smeared all over the body to hasten recovery after a fever, a syrup is prepared from the fruit and taken as a cure for fever and inflammation and to stop rectal bleeding and alleviate internal hemorrhoids, and the leaves are used to treat hypertension. It is grown in home gardens due to its attractive small purplish-red flowers in clusters along the trunk and branches.
Tree Species (Scientific Name)
Averrhoa bilimbi
Food
Lumber
Medicinal
Ornamental
English Common Name
Bilimbi
Indonesian Common Name
Belimbing, Belimbing wuluh, Belimbing sayur
Tree Family
Oxalidaceae
Average Leaf Size (cm)
6cm
Length
×
1.225cm
Width
Tree Height
Shrub (1–10m)
Elevational Range (m)
0–1200m
Distribution
Native
Exotic
Native to Indonesia
Native to
Region
Asia
Indonesia
Maluku Islands, Sulawesi
Exotic in
SE Asia
Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam
Indonesia
Borneo, Java, New Guinea, Sumatra
Coffee Agroforestry Information
Coffee System
Robusta
Arabica
Coffee Impact
Unknown
Prevalence
Common in Coffee Agroforestry
Cultivation
Planted
Regeneration
Unknown
Tree Management
Unknown
Tree Benefits and Uses
Farmer Uses
- Food
- Lumber
- Medicinal
- Ornamental
Farm Services
- Unknown
Biodiversity Benefits
Yes
Food source for bees, butterflies and birds.