SEARCH RESULTS: WISTERIAFRUTESCENS

Starfish Flower, Giant Toad Flower, Carrion Flower. This spine-free succulent, Stapelia gigantea, is one of the plant world's giants and belongs to the milkweed family. It thrives in dry desert areas from Tanzania to South Africa. Its name "Carrion" comes from its unique scent that's similar to rotting meat, attracting pollinating flies who find the aroma irresistible. The standout feature of this plant is its large, fleshy star-shaped flowers, flaunting pale ochre-yellow petals with thin maroon lines. It blooms in the fall when daylight hours shorten. Despite its unusual smell, it makes for a stunning container plant with its 4-angled, succulent stems that grow upright to 8-12" before sprawling sideways. Plants in the ground can reach up to 24" wide. When it seeds, each pod looks like a mini milkweed parachute. Let's also appreciate its interesting background - the genus name honors Dutch physician Johannes Bodaeus van Stapel from the 1600s.
See video: Bizzare starfish flower - Stapelia gigantea.

Carambola (Starfruit) var Arkin. One of the leading commercial cultivars with 4-5" long fruit with small wings. Bright yellow to yellow-orange skin and flesh. Flesh is firm, very sweet, and juicy with few seeds.
Small symmetrical tree. Fruits very prolifically. Fruit is star-shaped when cut across the middle. It has a sweet, watery, slightly acid, pleasant tasting pulp. Eaten fresh, in salads, as garnishes, in drinks or preserved. Mature trees may survive light frost but young trees must be protected from frost and especially - wind. The plant will fruit in container even when in small size (2-3 ft). Season: August - March.

Carambola variety Sri Kembangan - Thai variety with elongated fruit, 5-6 inches long, bright yellow-orange flesh, very sweet and juicy. Firm flesh and few seeds make it excellent dessert fruit.
Small symmetrical tree. Fruits very prolifically. Fruit is star-shaped when cut across the middle. It has a sweet, watery, slightly acid, pleasant tasting pulp. Eaten fresh, in salads, as garnishes, in drinks or preserved. Mature trees may survive light frost but young trees must be protected from frost and especially - wind. The plant will fruit in container even when in small size (2-3 ft). Season: August - March.

Rare and hard-to-find, Dwarf Hawaiian is a wonderful star fruit for containers since it produces an abundance of sweet, pale yellow fruit once it reaches 2' in height. The fruit is as large as any commercial variety and it has a high sugar content and delicious flavor even when grown inside.
These plants are 2 year old seedlings and may take couple years to fruit.
MORE INFO:
- Carambola Starfruit FAQ: how dwarf is a seedling?
- Article about Carambola Star Fruit.

Carambola variety Fwang Tong (Tung) - Dwarf variety with elongated fruit, 5 inches long, with long wings. Pale yellow skin and flesh. Very sweet and juicy. Flesh is firm with few seeds. Fruit ripe, when wing edges are still green. Eaten fresh, in salads, as garnishes, in drinks or preserved. Mature trees may survive light frost but young trees must be protected from frost and especially - wind. The plant will fruit in container even when in small size (2-3 ft). Season: August - March.
These plants are 2 year old seedlings and may take couple years to fruit.

See Article about Carambola Star Fruit.

Carambola variety Hart - dwarf variety suitable for small backyard or container growing. Fruits are small with pale-yellow, almost white skin. Flesh is sweet and delicious. Eaten fresh, in salads, as garnishes, in drinks or preserved. Mature trees may survive light frost but young trees must be protected from frost and especially - wind. The plant will fruit in container even when in small size (2-3 ft). Season: August - March.
These plants are 2 year old seedlings and may take couple years to fruit.
See Article about Carambola Star Fruit.

Carambola var Kari was developed at the University of Hawaii. Sweet, juicy, rich-flavored fruits. Yellow-orange when ripe. More round shape with less green-edged wings.
Small symmetrical tree. Fruits very prolifically. Fruit is star-shaped when cut across the middle. It has a sweet, watery, slightly acid, pleasant tasting pulp. Eaten fresh, in salads, as garnishes, in drinks or preserved. Mature trees may survive light frost but young trees must be protected from frost and especially - wind. The plant will fruit in container even when in small size (2-3 ft). Season: August - March.
These plants are 2 year old seedlings and may take couple years to fruit.
See Article about Carambola Star Fruit.

Carambola variety Dwarf Maher. This Hawaiin variety has roundish fruit with light yellowish - white skin, white flesh, low acid content, sweet and crunchy. An abundant producer of sweet juicy fruit. Fruit starts forming at only 2 feet in height. Small size make it good choice for container culture.
These plants are 2 year old seedlings and may take couple years to fruit.
See Article about Carambola Star Fruit.

Red Wrightia. This rare species of wrightia is not fragrant, but flower is an amazing starfish! Flower is about 2" wide and looks waxy, almost artificial. The plants can be grown as a small tree or shrub. Cold sensitive.

Rare variety: Striped Philippine violet, Crested philippine violet. Very showy fall/winter bloomer. Cold hardy.

Lemon Bay Rum Tree, Citrus Bay - all plant parts have strong lemon scent, very pleasant and relaxing. One of the rarest plants, cuttings are hard to root.
Bay Rum is a small sized tree related to the Allspice, with leaves containing and aromatic oil that somewhat resembles clove oil. This essential oil is distilled from the leaves and is used in perfumes. A type of cologne named 'Bay Rum' was historically made in the early 20th century by distilling the oil using rum and water, hence the common name of the plant. Leaves of can be used in cooking and tea. For generations, Bay Rum has been used in folk medicine. This spice scent will be with you right away and will stay all the time, don't have to wait till bloom or fruit...