Cucurbitaceae FAMILY

Momordica charantia

Edibility

3/5

Medicinal

3/5

Safety & Hazards

Mature fruits of wild plants are said to be poisonous to people and domestic animals[ 299 Title Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. Publication Author Website http://www.prota.org Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa. ].

Botanical Description

Momordica charantia is a very vigorous, annual climbing plant producing much-branched stems 5 metres or more long that scramble over the ground or climb up into the surrounding vegetation, supporting themselves by means of tendrils[ 354 Title Plants of Guam Publication Author Moore P.H. & McMakin P. Website http://university.uog.edu/cals/people/POG/scipn.htm Publisher University of Guam. Year 1979 ISBN Description Brief details, usually with a photo, of plants native to the island of Guam, often together with some information on their uses. An online version is available. , 416 Title Brazilian Fruits and Cultivated Exotics Publication Author Lorenzi. H.; Bacher. L.; Lacerda. M.; Sartori. S. Publisher Instituto Plantarum De Estudos Da Flora LTDA; Brazil. Year 2000 ISBN 85-867174-24-0 Description A superb book, giving information on several hundred fruit species. Each entry has a brief description of the plant and its uses, accompanied by one to many excellent quality photographs of the fruits. ]. The plant is an important market vegetable in southern and eastern Asia, it is also cultivated on a small scale in tropical America and in the southern part of the United States[ 299 Title Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. Publication Author Website http://www.prota.org Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa. ].The plant is also grown for medicinal purposes.

Habitat & Origin

Origintropical

Native RangePantropical - the exact origin is obscure, though it was possibly Africa or India.

HabitatSavannah and bush[ 238 Title Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Publication Author Bown. D. Publisher Dorling Kindersley, London. Year 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31 Description A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant. ]. Common in coastal thickets, along creeks and streams, and in lowland forest margins[ 311 Title Medicinal Plants in the South Pacific Publication Author Publisher WHO Regional Publications, Manilla. Year 1998 ISBN 92-9061-118-9 Description Excellent guide to 102 medicinal herbs of the Pacific Islands, with photographs of each plant and details of their constituents, biological activities and traditional uses. A description of each plant, together with habitat and distribution is given. ].