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Taxon:  Momordica charantia L.



Summary
Genus:
Momordica
Family:
Cucurbitaceae
Tribe:
Momordiceae
Nomen number:
24520
Place of publication:
Sp. pl. 2:1009. 1753
Verified:
05/28/2009 ARS Systematic Botanists.
Accessions:
7 (7  active, 0  available) in National Plant Germplasm System.  (Map it)
Other conspecific taxa
Momordica charantia L. subsp. charantia (0 active accession[s])
Momordica charantia L. subsp. macroloba Ach.-Dako & Blattner (0 active accession[s])
Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations
Heterotypic Synonym(s)
Momordica charantia L. var. abbreviata Ser.
Momordica muricata Willd.
Momordica zeylanica Mill.
No images


Reference(s)
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Common names
English
balsam-apple –
balsam-pear –
bitter gourd –
bitter-cucumber –
bitter-melon –
carilla gourd –
French
concombre africain –
margose –
momordique –
paroka –
German
amerikanische Bittergurke –
Balsambirne –
Bittergurke –
India
karela –
Indonesian
paria –
Malay
peria –
Spanish
bálsamo –
balsamito –
cundeamor –
Swedish
bittergurka –
Transcribed Chinese
ku gua –
Transcribed Korean
yeoju –
Distribution
order_codeStatusContinentSubcontinentCountryStateNote
1NativeAfricaEast Tropical AfricaKenya  
1NativeAfricaEast Tropical AfricaTanzania  
1NativeAfricaEast Tropical AfricaUganda  
1NativeAfricaSouth Tropical AfricaAngola  
1NativeAfricaSouth Tropical AfricaMalawi  
1NativeAfricaSouth Tropical AfricaMozambique  
1NativeAfricaSouth Tropical AfricaZambia  
1NativeAfricaSouth Tropical AfricaZimbabwe  
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaBenin  
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaCôte D'Ivoire  
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaGambia  
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaGhana  
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaLiberia  
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaMali  
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaNigeria  
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaSenegal  
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaSierra Leone  
1NativeAfricaWest-Central Tropical AfricaBurundi  
1NativeAfricaWest-Central Tropical AfricaCameroon  
1NativeAfricaWest-Central Tropical AfricaGabon  
1NativeAfricaWest-Central Tropical AfricaRwanda  
1NativeAfricaWest-Central Tropical AfricaZaire  
1NativeAfricaWestern Indian OceanMadagascar  
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentIndia  
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentNepal  
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentPakistan  
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentSri Lanka  
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndo-ChinaCambodia  
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndo-ChinaThailand  
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndo-ChinaVietnam  
1NativeAsia-TropicalMalesiaIndonesia  
1NativeAsia-TropicalMalesiaMalaysia  
1NativeAsia-TropicalMalesiaPapua New Guinea  
1NativeAsia-TropicalMalesiaPhilippines  
1NativeAustralasiaAustraliaAustraliaQueensland 
1NativePacificSouth-Central PacificFrench Polynesia  
1NativePacificSouthwestern PacificFiji  
2Cultivated     
4NaturalizedNorthern America Mexico  
4NaturalizedNorthern AmericaSouth-Central U.S.A.United StatesTexas 
4NaturalizedNorthern AmericaSoutheastern U.S.A.United StatesFlorida 
4NaturalizedNorthern AmericaSoutheastern U.S.A.United StatesLouisiana 
4NaturalizedPacificNorth-Central PacificUnited StatesHawaii 
4NaturalizedSouthern AmericaBrazilBrazil  
4NaturalizedSouthern AmericaCaribbeanBahamas  
4NaturalizedSouthern AmericaCaribbeanBarbados  
4NaturalizedSouthern AmericaCaribbeanCayman Islands  
4NaturalizedSouthern AmericaCaribbeanCuba  
4NaturalizedSouthern AmericaCaribbeanDominica  
4NaturalizedSouthern AmericaCaribbeanDominican Republic  
4NaturalizedSouthern AmericaCaribbeanGrenada  
4NaturalizedSouthern AmericaCaribbeanGuadeloupe  
4NaturalizedSouthern AmericaCaribbeanHaiti  
4NaturalizedSouthern AmericaCaribbeanJamaica  
4NaturalizedSouthern AmericaCaribbeanMartinique  
4NaturalizedSouthern AmericaCaribbeanMontserrat  
4NaturalizedSouthern AmericaCaribbeanNetherlands Antilles  
4NaturalizedSouthern AmericaCaribbeanPuerto Rico  
4NaturalizedSouthern AmericaCaribbeanSt. Kitts and Nevis  
4NaturalizedSouthern AmericaCaribbeanSt. Lucia  
4NaturalizedSouthern AmericaCaribbeanSt. Vincent and Grenadines  
4NaturalizedSouthern AmericaCaribbeanVirgin Islands (British)  
4NaturalizedSouthern AmericaCaribbeanVirgin Islands (U.S.)  
4NaturalizedSouthern AmericaMesoamericaBelize  
4NaturalizedSouthern AmericaMesoamericaCosta Rica  
4NaturalizedSouthern AmericaMesoamericaEl Salvador  
4NaturalizedSouthern AmericaMesoamericaGuatemala  
4NaturalizedSouthern AmericaMesoamericaHonduras  
4NaturalizedSouthern AmericaMesoamericaNicaragua  
4NaturalizedSouthern AmericaMesoamericaPanama  
4NaturalizedSouthern AmericaNorthern South AmericaFrench Guiana  
4NaturalizedSouthern AmericaNorthern South AmericaGuyana  
4NaturalizedSouthern AmericaNorthern South AmericaSuriname  
4NaturalizedSouthern AmericaNorthern South AmericaVenezuela  
4NaturalizedSouthern AmericaSouthern South AmericaArgentina  
4NaturalizedSouthern AmericaSouthern South AmericaParaguay  
4NaturalizedSouthern AmericaWestern South AmericaBolivia  
4NaturalizedSouthern AmericaWestern South AmericaEcuador  
4NaturalizedSouthern AmericaWestern South AmericaPeru  
Native
Africa
  • EAST TROPICAL AFRICA: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda
  • SOUTH TROPICAL AFRICA: Angola, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe
  • WEST TROPICAL AFRICA: Benin, Côte D'Ivoire, Ghana, Gambia, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone
  • WEST-CENTRAL TROPICAL AFRICA: Burundi, Cameroon, Gabon, Rwanda, Zaire
  • WESTERN INDIAN OCEAN: Madagascar
Asia-Tropical
  • INDIAN SUBCONTINENT: India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan
  • INDO-CHINA: Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam
  • MALESIA: Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Papua New Guinea
Australasia
  • AUSTRALIA: Australia [Queensland]
Pacific
  • SOUTH-CENTRAL PACIFIC: French Polynesia
  • SOUTHWESTERN PACIFIC: Fiji
Cultivated ()
Naturalized
Northern America
  • REGION: Mexico
  • SOUTH-CENTRAL U.S.A.: United States [Texas]
  • SOUTHEASTERN U.S.A.: United States [Florida, Louisiana]
Pacific
  • NORTH-CENTRAL PACIFIC: United States [Hawaii]
Southern America
  • BRAZIL: Brazil
  • CARIBBEAN: Netherlands Antilles, Bahamas, Barbados, Cuba, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, Montserrat, Martinique, Puerto Rico, St. Vincent and Grenadines, Virgin Islands (British), Virgin Islands (U.S.)
  • MESOAMERICA: Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, El Salvador
  • NORTHERN SOUTH AMERICA: French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela
  • SOUTHERN SOUTH AMERICA: Argentina, Paraguay
  • WESTERN SOUTH AMERICA: Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru
Economic Uses
UsageTypeNoteReference
Harmful organism hostcrop diseases Holm, L. et al. World weeds: natural histories and distribution. 1997
Harmful organism hostcrop pests Holm, L. et al. World weeds: natural histories and distribution. 1997
Human foodvegetable Chakravarty, H. L. 1990. Cucurbits of India and their role in the development of vegetable crops. Biology and utilization of the Cucurbitaceae. 1990 329.
Medicinesfolklore McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2. 2000
Vertebrate poisonsmammals Lampe, K. F. & M. A. McCann. AMA handbook of poisonous and injurious plants. 1985
Weedpotential seed contaminant CIBA-GEIGY, Basel, Switzerland. Documenta CIBA-GEIGY (Grass weeds 1. 1980, 2. 1981; Monocot weeds 3. 1982; Dicot weeds 1. 1988)
Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2025. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://ausgenebank.agriculture.vic.gov.au/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=24520. Accessed 7 December 2025.

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