Bitter Melon Momordica balsamina
Other Common Name(s):
Other plants called Bitter Melon:
- Phonetic Spelling
- mo-MOR-dee-ka bal-SAM-in-uh
- This plant has low severity poison characteristics.
- See below
- Description
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Balsam Apple is an annual, climbing vine in the cucumber family, native to tropical Africa and tropical Asia. This plant is typically 4 to 6 inches high, but the vine can spread to 16 to 20 feet long, using tendrils to climb. It has a thin, hairy stem and heart-shaped leaves. The pale yellow flowers give way to bright orange fruit that contain numerous red, sticky seeds.
Balsam Apple prefers a light, moist soil in full sun to partial shade. You can sow seeds directly outdoors in spring a half inch deep in soil or start seedlings indoors.
The leaves and young fruits of Momordica balsamina are cooked and eaten as a vegetable in Cameroon, Sudan and southern Africa. The bitter young fruits have been reported widely as edible, whereas the ripe fruits cause vomiting and diarrhoea, and can be poisonous. The bright red fruit pulp is eaten in Namibia. Dogs can be harmed if they eat the ripe fruit.
Diseases, Insect Pests, and Other Plant Problems:
No known diseases or insect pests.
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Momordica
- Species:
- balsamina
- Family:
- Cucurbitaceae
- Uses (Ethnobotany):
- Wide spectrum of medicinal and nutritional values and has been used as a traditional folk medicine in many countries. The fruit and leaves are used as a soap substitute.
- Life Cycle:
- Annual
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Seed
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Tropical & Southern Africa, South West Arabian Peninsula
- Distribution:
- Invasive in Asia, Australia, Central America. Introduced into Texas, Florida, Peru, and India.
- Wildlife Value:
- Attracts birds.
- Climbing Method:
- Tendrils
- Edibility:
- Edible, but bitter fruit
- Dimensions:
- Height: 0 ft. 4 in. - 0 ft. 6 in.
- Width: 8 ft. 0 in. - 16 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Annual
- Vine
- Habit/Form:
- Climbing
- Creeping
- Spreading
- Growth Rate:
- Rapid
- Maintenance:
- Low
- Texture:
- Medium
- Appendage:
- Tendrils
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture:
- Loam (Silt)
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Alkaline (>8.0)
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Moist
- Occasionally Wet
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b, 11a, 11b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Fruit Value To Gardener:
- Showy
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Fall
- Summer
- Fruit Type:
- Berry
- Fruit Description:
- Round, yellowish-green warty fruits in late summer or early fall turn yellow-orange and split when ripe to reveal numerous seeds covered with a brilliant scarlet, extremely sticky coating.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Solitary
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Showy
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Summer
- Flower Size:
- < 1 inch
- Flower Description:
- Individual, small, pale yellow, deeply veined flowers. Male flowers appear on long stalks. Female flowers appear on shorter stalks.
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Leaves:
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Leaf Feel:
- Rough
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Leaf Shape:
- Ovate
- Spatulate
- Leaf Margin:
- Entire
- Lobed
- Hairs Present:
- Yes
- Leaf Length:
- 3-6 inches
- Leaf Description:
- Leaves are divided into short petioles and 5 inch, soft, thin leaf blades. The sparsely hairy leaf blade is palmately divided with five to seven lobes with each multiply lobed or remotely sharp-toothed. The leaf margins are often pointed on the lobe tips and the thin tendrils are simple and long.
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Stem:
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Cross Section:
- Angular
- Stem Form:
- Straight
- Stem Surface:
- Hairy (pubescent)
- Stem Description:
- Stem is thin, angular and slightly hairy.
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Container
- Landscape Theme:
- Edible Garden
- Design Feature:
- Specimen
- Attracts:
- Songbirds
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Humidity
- Salt
- Problems:
- Poisonous to Humans
