University of Florida Plant Information

Carambola Growing in the Florida Home Landscape

HS12

Scientific Name: Averrhoa carambola L.

Common Names: carambola, star fruit (starfruit), bilimbi, and five-finger

Family: Oxalidaceae

Relatives: bilimbi, oxalis

Origin: Southeast Asia

Distribution: Carambolas are cultivated throughout many tropical and warm subtropical areas of the world. In the US, carambolas are grown commercially in southern Florida and Hawaii. In Florida, carambolas are grown commercially in Dade, Lee, Broward, and Palm Beach counties.

History: Carambolas have been cultivated in southeast Asia (e.g., Malaysia, India, Sri Lanka) for centuries, and trees were introduced in Florida over 100 years ago. Fruit from the first introductions into Florida were tart. More recently, seeds and vegetative material from Thailand, Taiwan, and Malaysia have been introduced and sweet cultivars have been selected.

Importance: As consumers become more familiar with carambola (also called star fruit), commercial acreage and production will increase throughout the tropical and subtropical world. Currently, the major producers include Taiwan, Malaysia, Guyana, India, Philippines, Australia, Israel, and the United States (Florida and Hawaii).

Warning: People who have been diagnosed with kidney disease should not eat carambola (star fruit) unless their doctor says that it is safe for them to eat. This fruit may contain enough oxalic acid to cause a rapid decline in renal function.

1. This document is HS12, one of a series of the Department of Horticultural Sciences, UF/IFAS Extension. Original publication date August 1981. Revised April 1994, August 2005, May 2007, and November 2016. Visit the EDIS website at https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu for the currently supported version of this publication.
2. Jonathan H. Crane, professor, tropical fruit crops specialist; UF/IFAS Tropical Research and Education Center, Homestead, FL 33031.

Vanilla

Scientific Name: Vanilla planifolia

Vanilla planifolia is the plant responsible for natural vanilla flavor. These vanilla orchids grow as vines in south Florida, USDA Hardiness zones 10a to 11a. They are found climbing up host trees and flowering in the branches. The leaves are oval shaped, bright green, and range in length from 3 to 24 inches. The bell-shaped blooms come in white, yellow, or pink.

Achachairu — a Potential Fruit Crop for Florida

HS1462

Introduction

Garcinia humilis, commonly known as achachairu (ah-cha-chay-ROO), is a tropical-fruit bearing crop that is emerging in south Florida. Tough native to the Amazon rainforest, achachairu also grows widely in the Caribbean and South and Central America (Oliver et al. 2018; USDA 2020). Its genus, Garcinia, falls under the Clusiaceae family—formerly known as Guttiferae—and includes several tropical and sub-tropical fruit species. Te fruits have attracted certain US markets because achachairu is rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and many other nutrients. Achachairu’s current use is limited and localized. Tis publication provides an overview of achachairu growth in Florida to help Extension faculty, growers, crop consultants, certifed crop advisors, environmentalists, agricultural-policy makers, and students to better understand the potential of achachairu (G. humilis).

1. This document is HS1462, one of a series of the Horticultural Sciences Department, UF/IFAS Extension. Original publication date August 2023. Visit the EDIS website at https://edis.ifas.uf.edu for the currently supported version of this publication.
2. Sergio Gutierrez, former student intern, Horticultural Sciences Department; Tatiana Sanchez, Extension agent II, commercial horticulture, UF/IFAS Extension Alachua County; Zhaohui Tong, former associate professor, Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering; and Guodong Liu, associate professor, Horticultural Sciences Department; UF/IFAS Extension, Gainesville, Florida 32611.

Goji Berry—a Novel Nutraceutical “Superfruit” for Florida Master Gardeners

HS1391

Goji berry (Lycium barbarum L.) is a native shrub to China belonging to the Solanaceae family. Common names of the crop include Chinese wolfberry, Himalayan goji, Tibetan goji, Fruktus Iycii, gougizi, goji berry, matrimony vine, Chinese boxthorn, Ningxia wolfberry, red medlar, and mede berry. It is widely cultivated and used throughout the arid and semiarid regions of northwest China (Figure 1). Goji berries have been used in both fresh and processed forms for food and medicine for more than 4,000 years in China (Wang et al. 2015). The goji berry fruit is known as a “superfruit” thanks to its high levels of vitamins and minerals, as well as other medicinal benefits recognized in many countries around the world. The term “superfruit” is frequently used to refer to fruit extraordinarily rich in antioxidants and nutrients (Chang et al. 2018; Himelrick 2018). Goji berry has nutraceutical properties. Nutraceuticals, also called “functional foods,” aid in the prevention or treatment of certain diseases and disorders. Since the 2000s, goji berry has been sold in Western countries as a nutraceutical product and as an antiaging remedy. Thanks to effective marketing strategies, this crop has rapidly grown in North America, southeast Europe, and the Mediterranean over the last several years (Potterat 2009). 

1. This document is HS1391, one of a series of the Horticultural Sciences Department, UF/IFAS Extension. Original publication date October 2020. Revised January 2024. Visit the EDIS website at https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu for the currently supported version of this publication.

2. Yujie Jiao, visiting PhD student, and Guodong Liu, associate professor, Horticultural Sciences Department, UF/IFAS Extension, Gainesville, FL 32611.

Coffea arabica Coffee

FPS135

Scientific name: Coffea arabica

Pronunciation: KOFF-ee-uh uh-RAB-bick-uh

Common name(s): coffee

Family: Rubiaceae

Plant type: shrub

USDA hardiness zones: 10B through 11 (Figure 4)

Planting month for zone 10 and 11: year round

Origin: not native to North America

Invasive potential: not known to be invasive

Uses: fruit; specimen; container or above-ground planter; hedge; near a deck or patio; espalier; border

Availability: somewhat available, may have to go out of the region to find the plant

1. This document is FPS135, one of a series of the Department of Environmental Horticulture, UF/IFAS Extension. Original publication date October 1999. Revised October 2023. Visit the EDIS website at https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu for the currently supported version of this publication.
2. Edward F. Gilman, professor, Department of Environmental Horticulture, UF/IFAS Extension, Gainesville, FL 32611.

Cocoplum (Chrysobalanus icaco L.) Identification and Uses

ENH1289

Family: Chrysobalanaceae (cocoplum family)
Common Names: cocoplum; fat pork; icaco
Origin: central and south Florida; West Indies; Mexico; 
Central America; northern South America; West Africa
USDA Zone: 10A‒12B (32°F minimum)
Plant Type: shrub; small tree
Growth Rate: moderate, coastal ecotype; fast, inland ecotype
Typical Height: 6-feet coastal ecotype; 20-feet inland ecotype
Leaf Persistence: evergreen
Leaf Type: simple, entire
Flower Color: white
Fruit Color: purple; white, sometimes blushed pink
Light Requirements: full sun; moderate to light shade
Soil Requirements: acidic to alkaline; clay to sandy; seasonally saturated to seasonally dry
Drought Tolerance: medium

1. This document is ENH1289, one of a series of the Environmental Horticulture Department, UF/IFAS Extension. Original publication date March 2018. Visit the EDIS website at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu.

2. Stephen H. Brown, horticulture agent, UF/IFAS Extension Lee County; and Marc S. Frank, Extension botanist, UF/IFAS Plant Identification and Information Service, University of Florida Herbarium; UF/IFAS Extension, Gainesville, FL 32611

Abiu Growing in the Florida Home Landscape

HS1050

Scientific Name: Pouteria caimito

Common Names: abiu (English), caimito amarillo, caimo, madura verde, and luma (Spanish), abiu, abio, abieiro (Portuguese)

Family: Sapotaceae

Relatives of Abiu: mamey sapote, canistel, green sapote, sapodilla

Origin: Amazonian region of South America

Distribution: Abiu has been distributed throughout the tropics of Latin America and Southeast Asia.

1. This document is HS1050, one of a series of the Horticultural Sciences Department, UF/IFAS Extension. Original publication date January 2006. Revised November 2016. Reviewed December 2019. Visit the EDIS website at https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu for the currently supported version of this publication.

2. Jonathan H. Crane, professor, tropical fruit crop specialist, UF/IFAS Tropical Research and Education Center; and Carlos F. Balerdi, professor, multicounty tropical fruit crops Extension agent (retired), UF/IFAS Extension Miami-Dade County; UF/IFAS Extension, Gainesville, FL 32611.