Momordica Species, Balsam Pear, Bitter Apple, Bitter Cucumber, Bitter Gourd, Bitter Melon

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 B...Read Moreitter 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.

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...Read More common name Balsam Apple, and not Bitter Melon.

The leaves are palmately veined with 5 lobes and variable notches along the margins.

The Warty outer skin is bright yellow. It splits along three lines, curls back to show the bright red, fleshy pulp that covers the tan colored seeds. The pulp is sweet and tastes similar to watermelon.

I will try to send some photos.
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I would like to back up. Two usually reliable resources describe these plants with different names. According to Wunderlin, GUIDE TO THE VASCULAR PLANTS OF FLORIDA, it is M. charantia that is commonly found in Florida. M. balsamina is listed as rare. The key says the bract of the male flower has a toothed margin. In M. charantia, the bract of the male flower has an entire margin.

The one pictured above IS NOT the one that commonly grows all over central & southern Florida.

Needless to say, this is all very confusing, so wait until we can do more research or the plants begin to bloom again. MN4

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 ...Read Moreof 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 leaves and stems are brewed as a tea in the winter as a cold remedy.