Family: Oxalidaceae
Scientific name: Averrhoa bilimbi
Common name: Bilimbi / Cucumber tree
Origin: Southeast Asia

The bilimbi is known from the Surinamese kitchen where the fruits are processed in dishes or cooked with sugar. The large fruits can be 4 to 10 cm wide, fade from bright green to yellowish green and have juicy, green, sour fruit flesh. They grow on the trunk of a tropical tree that can reach a height of 10 meters. The species can also be kept as a houseplant, where it is important to move the plant to a spot where it is exposed to light and is close to a heater. Or, for example, in a greenhouse in which the temperature does not fall below 15 degrees Celsius. The origin of the species is probably somewhere in the Moluccas, however this has been hard to identify due to the widely global cultivation of the species.
 
Sowing description: First soak seeds in water for 24 hours. Sow them in sowing mix and keep the soil constantly moist. Let them germinate at 25-30 degC.

Sowing time: Whole year 
Difficulty: Intermediate
Minimum temperature: 15 degrees Celsius

Photo 2: Le Bellec (cirad.fr)