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Momordica charantia
Momordica charantia
- Botanic Family
- Cucurbitaceae
- Author
- Linnaeus
Common Names
- Balsam Pear
- Bitter Gourd
- Bitter Cucumber
- La-kwa
- Bitter Melon
- Alligator Pear
- Karela (Pakistan)
- Fu Kua
- Fu Kwa
- Niga Uri
- Foo Gwa
- Fooh-gwaah
- Foogar
- Fu Gwa
- Wu Lo Gwa
- Pareea
- Karaila (Bhojpuri
- Danuwar
- Tharu)
- African Cucumber
- Bitter Squash
- Carilla Fruit
- Leprosy Gourd
- Khakatik (Lepcha)
- Takrukse (Limbu)
- Kakacha (Newari)
- Khukshi (Rai)
- Phekwasi (Rai)
- Kareli (Tamang)
- Karilo (Tamang)
- Jethwya? Bara Masiya?
- Ku gua (Pinyin)
- Karala (India)
- Katakataka (Philippines)
- Margose (French)
- Phak Hay (Laos)
- Mak Say (Laos)
- Wild Cucumber
- Balsam Apple
- Cunde Amor (Spanish)
- Melo de Ratón (Spanish)
- Papayiyo (Spanish)
- Pepinillo (Spanish)
- Pepino Cimarrón (Spanish)
- Cundeamor
- Jumbee Pumpkin
- Maiden Apple
- Old Maid
- Hkaw-hka (Myanmar)
- Kyet-hin-khar (Myanmar)
- Kyet-hun-kha-thi (Myanmar)
- Ma-hary-khan (Myanmar)
- Papareh (Hindi)
- Mûóp dðng (Vietnam)
- Mûóp dang hoan (Vietnam)
- Cay mûóp mú (Vietnam)
- Quâ múóp dàng (Vietnam)
- Peria Laut (Singapore)
- Wild Balsam Apple
- Kyethenka (Myanmar)
- Mreas (Cambodia)
- Koo Kwa Kan (China)
- Pandipane (French)
- Periah (Malay)
- Pepino de Saõ Gregorio (Portuguese)
- Karaka or Patu (Sanskrit)
- Pakal (Tamil)
- Kho Qua (Vietnamese)
- Baroman (Waama)
- Gnisinkin (Mahi)
- Kpalaari (Anii)
- Kpalayi (Tchabè)
- Tchaati (Ifè)
- Tchatchala (Boko)
- Poire de Balsam or Concombre Africain or Liane Merveille or Margose (French)
- Sorosi (Nicaragua
- Cost Rica)
- Jaiba (El Salvador)
- Pepinillo Amargo or Pepinillo Chino (Costa Rica)
- Balsamino or Pepino de Monte (Panama)
- Papailla (Peru)
- Balsamina or Betulla or Amargosa or Cundeamor or Maporoto (Piro)
- Moneiroze (Huitoto)
- Papayillo or Papayilla or Sorosi or Totora or Melaó-de-saó or Caetano or Erva-de-saó Caemano or Erva-de-lava-deira (Portuguese)
- Sopropo (Suriname)
Geographical Habitats
- Angola
- Christmas Island
- Northern Territory
- Queensland
- Western Australia - Australia
- Bangladesh
- Benin
- Borneo
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Cameroon
- Cape Verde Islands
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- Ethiopia
- Fiji
- Gabon. Gambia
- Ghana
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- Gulf of Guinea Islands
- India
- Java
- Lesser Sunda Islands
- Maluku
- Sulawesi
- Sumatra - Indonesia
- Ivory Coast
- Kenya
- Laos
- Liberia
- Malawi
- Malaysia
- Mali
- Mozambique
- Namibia
- Niger
- Nigeria
- Pakistan
- New Guinea - Papua New Guinea
- Philippines
- Rwanda
- Senegal
- Sierra Leone
- Society Islands
- Solomon Islands
- Natal
- Northern Provinces - South Africa
- Sri Lanka
- Sudan
- Tanzania
- Thailand
- Tonga
- Uganda
- Vietnam
- Zaire
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
Natural Habitats
- Thickets
- riverside
- coastal
- disturbed areas
- pondside
- forest
Flowering Times
- May-Oct (China)
- Aug-Oct (Thailand)
- May-Aug (India)
- All year (El Salvador)
Fruiting Times
- May-Oct (China)
- Oct-Nov (Thailand)
- All year (El Salvador)
Monoecious hairy annual scandent or prostrate herbaceous simple tendril vine to 5m with ridged glabrescent stems. Puberulous leaves, somewhat 3-9 lobed dentate & hairy, leaves to 150mm x 160mm, toothed lobes, glabrous or sparsely hirsute on veins above hairy on nerves beneath, downy simple tendrils to 600mm long. Morning-scented 30mm yellow flowers in 150mm long inflorescence, male flowers solitary axillary yellow to 35mm, bract 17mm x 8mm, calyx 10mm long with 5 yellowish hairy lobes to 6mm long, corolla with 5 petals to 30mm long, 5 lobes 12mm long x 40mm diameter, female flowers solitary & similar to male, sepals to 5mm long, petals to 13mm long. 250mm x 40mm orange-yellow to red spindle-shaped fruits with tuberculed ridges, longitudinally ridged warty or with subconical spines.
Further References
- Sturtevant 1919
- Menninger 1970
- Bailey 1976
- Beckett 1990
- Huxley 1992
- Rubatzky 1997
- Smith 1998
- Manandhar 2002
- FOC
- FOH
- Llamas 2003
- FCP
- Bodkin
- FB
- JDH
- Welw
- The Plant List 2
- J.S. Gamble
- BF
- VOPR
- USNH
- Botanicus
- F Indochine
- FNWNG
- FOTA
- GBS
- FOL
- Gleason & Moldenke
- FTEA
- Wiart
- Traditional Vegetables in Benin
- PCCA
- PMAP
- Academia