Momordica Species, Balsam Pear, Bitter Apple, Bitter Cucumber, Bitter Gourd, Bitter Melon
Momordica charantia
Family: | Cucurbitaceae (koo-ker-bih-TAY-see-ee) (Info) |
Genus: | Momordica (mo-MOR-di-ka) (Info) |
Species: | charantia (char-AN-tee-a) (Info) |
Category:
Vines and Climbers
Water Requirements:
Average Water Needs; Water regularly; do not overwater
Sun Exposure:
Full Sun
Foliage:
Foliage Color:
Height:
10-12 ft. (3-3.6 m)
Spacing:
18-24 in. (45-60 cm)
Hardiness:
USDA Zone 9b: to -3.8 °C (25 °F)
USDA Zone 10a: to -1.1 °C (30 °F)
USDA Zone 10b: to 1.7 °C (35 °F)
USDA Zone 11: above 4.5 °C (40 °F)
Where to Grow:
Danger:
Parts of plant are poisonous if ingested
Bloom Color:
Gold (yellow-orange)
Bloom Characteristics:
Bloom Size:
Bloom Time:
Mid Summer
Late Summer/Early Fall
Other details:
May be a noxious weed or invasive
Soil pH requirements:
Patent Information:
Non-patented
Propagation Methods:
From seed; direct sow after last frost
Self-sows freely; deadhead if you do not want volunteer seedlings next season
Seed Collecting:
Allow unblemished fruit to ripen; clean and dry seeds
Regional
This plant is said to grow outdoors in the following regions:
Vincent, Alabama
Sacramento, California
Bradley, Florida
Melbourne, Florida
Miami, Florida
Titusville, Florida
Winter Garden, Florida
Statesboro, Georgia
Marrero, Louisiana
Raleigh, North Carolina
show allGardeners' Notes:
Rating | Content |
---|---|
Positive | On Apr 11, 2015, janelp_lee from Toronto, ON (Zone 6a) wrote: Very easy to grow from seeds. Medicinal veggie. |
Positive | On Jul 13, 2008, J_C from Saint Petersburg, FL wrote: The plant grows great in both Saint Petersburg, FL and Miami, Florida. The fruit is prickly and orange in color and grows to a little bigger than the size of a golf ball in Miami while in Saint Petersburg it grows almost to the size of the golf ball. I had a plant growing all over the fence in Saint Petersburg last year. |
Positive | On May 17, 2007, Lily_love from Central, AL (Zone 7b) wrote: Is there an error to say that this plan with the posted fruit is "poisonous"?, for the fruit is edible. I hope there will be further correction if it was. I knew for quite sometime that this was referred to as "Bitter Gourd" or "Bitter Cucumber" as it belongs to the cucurbit family. |
Neutral | On Apr 4, 2005, DawnRain from Bartow, FL wrote: I think there are several closely related species. I am not a botanist so correct me where I am wrong. I think Momordica charantia is Bitter Melon and the longish fruit that is eaten by the Asian people. In Florida we have Balsam Apple, Momordica balsamica. It is as MotherNature described it. A beautiful fruit with an interesting vine and butter yellow simple, but nice bloom and rather pretty. It loses pretty because it has a tendency to be invasive and perennial in our Florida gardens. And it has a nasty smell when you are pulling it. But I do keep one on a post just because I like the look of it. I didn't know that it was also edible. That is great info. |
Neutral | On Apr 3, 2005, MotherNature4 from Bartow, FL (Zone 9a) wrote: The fruit of this plant doesn't look like the Chinese lantern shaped fruit of Momordica charantia in my reference book. It only uses the common name Balsam Apple, and not Bitter Melon. |
Positive | On Jul 9, 2003, soilsandup from Sacramento, CA (Zone 9a) wrote: I am Chinese and my mother grows a crop of bitter melon every year. It is definitely an acquired taste - but we grew up with it and all of my siblings like it as adults. The oldest of my three children is starting to eat it, but the two younger ones have not. Previous comments have included problems with the plant's invasiveness. Perhaps there are invasive wild varieties versus well behaved domesticated ones. I do not know of anyone complaining about this plant among the Chinese community. My mother picks all of the melons as they are produced, leaving a few fruits to ripen to supply seeds for next year's planting. The list of medicinal values for this plant is endless. The seeds are removed and the melon is either stuffed and steamed, or cut into small pieces and stir-fried. Dried l... read more |