Momordica charantia L.

Annual climber or trailer to 5 m.. Stems herbaceous, ridged, glabrous or hairy, strap-shaped at the base.. Leaf-blade broadly ovate-reniform or orbicular in outline, cordate, 25–100 mm. long, 30–125 mm. broad, glabrous or pubescent (especially on the nerves) on both surfaces, deeply palmately (3–)5(–7)-lobed; lobes obovate, ovate-elliptic or rhombic in outline, narrowed towards the base, acute and apiculate, sinuate-toothed and unlobed or more usually sinuate-lobulate; petioles 14–70 mm. long.. Tendrils simple.. Monoecious.. Male flowers solitary; peduncle 5–28 mm. long, bearing an apical 3–15 mm. long 4–22 mm. broad suborbicular apiculate clasping green bract; pedicel 18–55 mm. long; receptacle-tube obconic, pale greenish-yellow, 2–4 mm. long; lobes ovate-lanceolate or elliptic, adpressed to lower surface of the petals, 3–6.5 mm. long; petals obovate-lingulate, apiculate, 11–22 mm. long, 7.5–15 mm. broad, pale yellow to orange-yellow, 2 with scales inside at the base; stamens 3; anthers coherent in centre of flower; thecae triplicate.. Female flowers with peduncle 2–50 mm. long, bearing an apical broadly ovate or suborbicular 1–12 mm. long 1–10 mm. broad sessile bract; pedicel 10–100 mm. long; ovary ovoid and beaked to elongate-fusiform, muricate-tuberculate, 8–30 mm. long, 2–4 mm. across; receptacle-lobes linear, acute, 2–5 mm. long, reflexed at the tips; petals 7–12 mm. long, 3–6 mm. wide.. Fruit on a 37–150 mm. or more long stalk, pendulous, broadly ovoid and beaked to attenuate-ellipsoid, 35–110 mm. long, 20–40 mm. across, reddish-orange with a paler apex, ornamented with ± 8 longitudinal rows of subconical tubercles and with many smaller tubercles in between, splitting into 3 valves and exposing the seeds sheathed in sticky red pulp hanging in two rows from the faces of each valve.. Seeds oblong, ± 8–11 × 4.5–6 × 2.5–3.5 mm.; testa sculptured; margins grooved.

A tropical plant. It grows from sea level up to about 500 m and will probably grow to 1000 m altitude in tropical regions. They require a well drained soil preferably rich in organic matter. Seeds do not germinate below 15°C. Plants grow best with temperatures between 18°C and 35°C. In Nepal it grows to about 2100 m altitude. In Argentina it grows from sea level to 1,000 m above sea level. A soil pH of 6.5 is best. It suits hardiness zones 9-12. In Yunnan.

The young bitter fruit are cooked and eaten. They are boiled, stuffed, fried or pickled. They are used in soups, stews and stir-fried dishes. The seed mass of the ripe fruit is used as a food flavouring. The leaves are also cooked and eaten as a flavouring. The tender shoots and leaves are sometimes eaten. CAUTION The leaves are considered to cause diarrhoea and vomiting.

Plants are grown from seed. For large scale plantings, 6-7 kg of seed are required for planting one hectare. Seeds are planted at 50 cm spacing in the place where the plants are to grow and need a stick to climb up. The seeds are put at 2 cm depth. Often plants are grown on raised beds 2 m apart with 0.5 m between plants. The seed has a hard seed coat and germinates slowly. Soaking seeds for 24 hours before sowing gives a quicker more even germination. Regular watering is required.