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Momordica balsamina

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A wild plant.


Male flower on a wild plant.


Female flower.

 
Unripe fruit on a wild plant.

Author: Carl Linnaeus, 1753
Family:  CUCURBITACEAE
Origin:  Angola, Australia, Benin, Botswana, Burkina, Cameroon, Caprivi Strip, Chad, Eswatini, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Soil:  Mix
Water:  Medium
Sun:  Maximum
Thickness:  4 Centimetres
Height:  50 Centimetres (5 meters)
Flower:  White - Yellow
Propagate:  Seeds/Cuttings
Names:  Bitter Melon, Balsam Apple
Synonyms:  Momordica involucrata, E. Meyer ex Sonder.
Momordica schinzii,
Cogn.
Momordica garipensis, E.Mey.
Momordica garriepensis,
Arn.
Momordica huberi,
Tod.
Momordica involucrata,
E.Mey. ex Sond.
Nevrosperma cuspidata,
Raf.

This member of the Cucurbitaceae  family was described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753. It is found in most of Africa, the Arab peninsular and strangely enough: Australia. It grows in a well drained soil with some water and lots of sun. The vines will grow up to five meters long. The flowers from white to yellow with two almost black spots.

The name comes from Mordio: 'to bite' after the bitten appearance of the seeds. The species name from Latin: balsamum referring to one of it's medical uses.


Open fruit with seeds. Grit 5mm.


The leaf by Bernard Gacongne.


The fruit by Bernard Gacongne.