Averrhoa bilimbi L., Oxalidaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Threat only at high elevations?  no

Common name(s): [more details]

Chamorro: pikue, pikue pickle

English: bilimbi, cucumber tree, tree cucumber, tree sorrel

French: zibeline

Palauan: imekure, imekurs, oterebekii

Spanish: bilimbí, grosella China

Yapese: kumim

Habit:  tree

Description:  "A shrub or small tree 4-10 m high (to 15 m elsewhere), with yellowish red to purple sepals and red petals.  It is usually cauliflorous aand ramiflorous, the leaves having 15-41 leaflets with predominantly oblong blades usually 3-7 x 1.5-2.5 cm, acute at apex, a few proximal ones smaller than the distal ones.  The fruits are green, terete to obtusely angled, ellipsoid to obovoid, up to 10 x 5 cm, with seeds 6-8 x 4-6 mm and lacking arils."  (Smith, 1985)"Small tree; leaves up to 60 cm long, with 20-36 leaflets, these 3-9 cm long; flowers red and white, cauliflorous; fruit oblong-cylindric, smooth, subterete, to 7 cm long, yellowish, acid (very sour), crisp"  (Stone, 1970; p. 348).

Habitat/ecology:  In Fiji, "sparingly cultivated near sea level" (Smith, 1985; p. 628).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Unknown, now pantropical and widely cultivated (Stone, 1970; p. 348).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Northern Mariana Islands	Rota Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 121)
Federated States of Micronesia Pohnpei Islands	Pohnpei Island		Lorence, David H./Flynn, Tim (1998) (p. 26)
Federated States of Micronesia Yap Islands	Yap (Waqab) Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 121)
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island	introduced cultivated	Smith, Albert C. (1985) (pp. 628-629) Vouchers cited: DA 12099, DA 16299
French Polynesia Society Islands	Huahine Island		Fosberg, F. R. (1997) (p. 91)
French Polynesia Society Islands	Moorea Island		Fosberg, F. R. (1997) (p. 91)
French Polynesia Society Islands	Raiatea (Havai) Island		Fosberg, F. R. (1997) (p. 91)
French Polynesia Society Islands	Taha‘a Island		Fosberg, F. R. (1997) (p. 91)
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	introduced cultivated	Stone, Benjamin C. (1970) (p. 348)
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 121)
Marshall Islands Ratak Chain	Majuro (Mãjro) Atoll	introduced cultivated	Vander Velde, Nancy (2003) (p. 114)
Nauru Nauru Island	Nauru Island	introduced cultivated	Thaman, R. R./Fosberg, F. R./Manner, H. I./Hassall, D. C. (1994) (pp. 178-179)
Palau Palau (main island group)	Angaur Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 121)
Palau Palau (main island group)	Babeldaob Island	introduced invasive	Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara/Miles, Joel E./Tiobech, Joseph/Rengulbai, Kashgar (2003) (p. 100)
Palau Palau (main island group)	Koror Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 121)
Palau Palau (main island group)	Ngerkebesang Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 121)
Palau Rock Islands	Aulupse‘el Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 121)

Indian Ocean
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia (Indian Ocean offshore islands) Christmas Island Group	Christmas Island	introduced cultivated	Swarbrick, J. T. (1997) (p. 105)
British Indian Ocean Territory Chagos Archipelago	Diego Garcia Island		Stoddart, D. R./Taylor, J. D., eds. (1971) (p. 151) Vouchers cited: Stoddart 887 (K, US), Rhyne 672 (US), Rhyne 771 (US)

Additional information:  Additional information from Morton, J. 1987. Bilimbi. p. 128-129 In: Fruits of warm climates. Julia F. Morton, Miami, FL.
Information from the World Agroforestry Centre's AgroForestryTree Database.

Additional online information about Averrhoa bilimbi is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Taxonomic information about Averrhoa bilimbi may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Falanruw, Marjorie C./Maka, Jean E./Cole, Thomas G./Whitesell, Craig D. 1990. Common and scientific names of trees and shrubs of Mariana, Caroline, and Marshall Islands. Pac. SW Forest and Range Expt. Stn. Resource Bulletin PSW-67. 91 pp.

Fosberg, F. R. 1997. Preliminary checklist of the flowering plants and ferns of the Society Islands. Ed. by David R. Stoddart. U. Cal. Berkeley.

Fosberg, F. R./Otobed, D./Sachet, M.-H./Oliver, R. L./Powell, D. A./Canfield, J. E. 1980. Vascular plants of Palau with vernacular names. Department of Botany, The Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. 43 pp.

Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce. 1979. A geographical checklist of the Micronesian dicotyledonae. Micronesica 15:1-295.

Lorence, David H./Flynn, Tim. 1998. Checklist of the plants of Pohnpei. Unpublished checklist. National Tropical Botanical Garden, Lawai, Hawai‘i. 21 pp.

Smith, Albert C. 1985. Flora Vitiensis nova: a new flora of Fiji. National Tropical Botanical Garden, Lawai, Kauai, Hawaii. Volume 3. 758 pp.

Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara/Miles, Joel E./Tiobech, Joseph/Rengulbai, Kashgar. 2003. Report to the Republic of Palau on invasive plant species of environmental concern. USDA Forest Service, Honolulu. 174 pp.

Stoddart, D. R./Taylor, J. D., eds. 1971. Geography and ecology of Diego Garcia Atoll, Chagos Archipelago. Atoll Research Bulletin No. 149. Smithsonian Institution, Washington. 237 pp.

Stone, Benjamin C. 1970. The flora of Guam. Micronesica 6:1-659.

Swarbrick, J. T. 1997. Environmental weeds and exotic plants on Christmas Island, Indian Ocean: a report to Parks Australia. 101 pp. plus appendix.

Thaman, R. R./Fosberg, F. R./Manner, H. I./Hassall, D. C. 1994. The flora of Nauru. Smithsonian Institution, Washington. Atoll Research Bulletin 392:1-223.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2007. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

Vander Velde, Nancy. 2003. The vascular plants of Majuro Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands. Smithsonian Institution, Atoll Research Bulletin No. 503:1-141.