Momordica charantia

Abstract

Slender-stemmed tendril climber of the CUCURBITACEAE family, the older stem is often flattened and fluted to 6 m or longer. Leaves alternate, cut into 5–7 narrow-based lobes. The lobes are mostly blunt, but have small marginal points, up to about 12 cm long, very thin-textured, and characteristically pungent and aromatic. Flowers are yellow on short (female) or long (male) peduncles that are short-lived. Fruit narrowed to both ends, ribbed with prominent tubercles on the ribs, 8 to 15 cm long, orange when ripe and then becoming softly fleshy and opening to reveal pendulous seeds covered with red pulp.