Momordica dioica Roxb. ex Willd.

Balsampear (en)

Species

Angiosperms > Cucurbitales > Cucurbitaceae > Momordica

Characteristics

A pumpkin family plant. It is a climbing her which keeps growing from year to year. It has a tuberous root. The leaves have stalks. The leaves are 3.5-10 cm long. They are oval to heart-shaped. They taper to the tip. There are 3-5 lobes. There are teeth near the tip. The flowers are white. The fruit have a short beak. They are densely covered with soft spines.
Life form perennial
Growth form herb
Growth support climber
Foliage retention -
Sexuality dioecy
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 3.0
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months -
Fruit color
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway -

Environment

A tropical and subtropical plant. In Nepal it grows to about 1300 m altitude. It grows on sandy soils.
More
Not known
Light -
Soil humidity -
Soil texture -
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 7-12

Usage

The young fruit are cooked as a vegetable or in curries. The ripe fruit are eaten. They are slightly bitter. The tuberous roots are also cooked as a vegetable. The tender shoots and leaves are also eaten, cooked.
Uses animal food food medicinal
Edible fruits leaves roots seeds shoots tubers
Therapeutic use Abdominal pain (fruit), Analgesics (fruit), Anorexia (fruit), Anthelmintics (fruit), Anti-bacterial agents (fruit), Anticonvulsants (fruit), Antifungal agents (fruit), Antioxidants (fruit), Appetite stimulants (fruit), Asthenia (fruit), Asthma (fruit), Breast diseases (fruit), Central nervous system depressants (fruit), Diabetes mellitus (fruit), Eye diseases (fruit), Eye drops (fruit), Eye infections (fruit), Fractures, bone (fruit), Gastrointestinal diseases (fruit), Heart diseases (fruit), Hematologic diseases (fruit), Hemorrhage (fruit), Insect repellents (fruit), Jaundice (fruit), Kidney diseases (fruit), Laxatives (fruit), Leprosy (fruit), Liver diseases (fruit), Nasal polyps (fruit), Neoplasms (fruit), Nasal disease (fruit), Parasympatholytics (fruit), Increase physical endurance, strength and stamina (fruit), General tonic for rejuvenation (fruit), Snake bites (fruit), Sprains and strains (fruit), Ulcer (fruit), Vaginal discharge (fruit), Disorder of mucous membrane (fruit), Analgesics (leaf), Anthelmintics (leaf), Anti-bacterial agents (leaf), Antifungal agents (leaf), Antioxidants (leaf), Antipyretics (leaf), Asthma (leaf), Eye infections (leaf), Furunculosis (leaf), Hematologic diseases (leaf), Hemorrhoids (leaf), Inflammation (leaf), Insecticides (leaf), Jaundice (leaf), Liver diseases (leaf), Migraine disorders (leaf), Skin diseases (leaf), Abortifacient agents (root), Anti-bacterial agents (root), Antifungal agents (root), Anti-infective agents, local (root), Anti-inflammatory agents (root), Antioxidants (root), Antipyretics (root), Asthma (root), Blister (root), Breast diseases (root), Bronchitis (root), Contraceptive agents (root), Cough (root), Delirium (root), Diabetes mellitus (root), Diphtheria (root), Dyspnea (root), Dysuria (root), Disorder of ejaculation (root), Emaciation (root), Erysipelas (root), Eye diseases (root), Fertility agents (root), Fertility agents, female (root), Fever (root), Furunculosis (root), Gangrene (root), Hemorrhage (root), Hemorrhoids (root), Hemostatics (root), Hiccup (root), Hypersensitivity (root), Hypnotics and sedatives (root), Infertility (root), Inflammatory bowel diseases (root), Jaundice (root), Kidney calculi (root), Leukorrhea (root), Liver diseases (root), Menstruation disturbances (root), Paralysis (root), Anti-poisoning (root), Rat-bite fever (root), Scorpion stings (root), Snake bites (root), Stomach diseases (root), Urinary calculi (root), Urination disorders (root), Disorder of head (root), Cooling effect on body (root), Analgesics (seed), Antineoplastic agents (seed), Hypersensitivity (seed), Anti-bacterial agents (stem), Antifungal agents (stem), Abortifacient agents (tuber), Anthelmintics (tuber), Antioxidants (tuber), Appetite stimulants (tuber), Contraceptive agents (tuber), Kidney diseases (tuber), Liver diseases (tuber), Molluscacides (tuber), Schistosomiasis (tuber), Abortifacient (unspecified), Headache (unspecified), Astringent (unspecified), Bowel (unspecified), Fever (unspecified), Piles (unspecified), Swelling (unspecified), Head (unspecified), Sedative (unspecified), Urogenital (unspecified), Anti-infective agents, local (unspecified), Antipyretics (unspecified), Aphrodisiacs (unspecified), Asthma (unspecified), Fertility agents (unspecified), Filariasis (unspecified), Hemorrhoids (unspecified), Hypnotics and sedatives (unspecified), Jaundice (unspecified), Kidney calculi (unspecified), Malaria (unspecified), Mental disorders (unspecified), Nasal disease (unspecified), Sexually transmitted diseases (unspecified), Snake bites (unspecified), Urinary bladder diseases (unspecified), Urination disorders (unspecified), Cooling effect on body (unspecified), Antiprotozoal agents (whole plant), Malaria (whole plant)
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Plants are grown from seed.
Mode seedlings
Germination duration (days) 14 - 21
Germination temperacture (C°) 18 - 23
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Flower

Momordica dioica flower picture by Prakash Rudraraju (cc-by-sa)
Momordica dioica flower picture by abhishek singh (cc-by-sa)

Fruit

Momordica dioica fruit picture by Prakash Rudraraju (cc-by-sa)

Distribution

Momordica dioica world distribution map, present in Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, and Thailand

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:293438-1
WFO ID wfo-0001300886
COL ID 43YZJ
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR) Link

Synonyms

Momordica missionis Momordica hamiltoniana Momordica heyneana Momordica trilobata Trichosanthes russeliana Momordica sicyoides Momordica wallichii Momordica roxburghii Momordica triloba Momordica hispida Momordica tuberosa Momordica dioica