network

bitter gourd

Baidu baike

Bitter gourd (scientific name: Momordica charantia L.) is an annual climbing weak herb with many branches. Stems and branches are pilose. Tendrils are slender and undivided. Petiole slender; Leaf blade membranous, green on top, pale green on back, palmately veined. Monoecious. Male pedicels slender, puberulent; Bracts green, slightly ciliate; Calyx lobes ovate-lanceolate, white pilose; Corolla yellow, lobes pilose; Stamens free. Female flowers solitary, pedicels puberulent; The ovary is spindle-shaped and the stigma is enlarged. The fruit is spindle-shaped or cylindrical, wrinkled and orange-yellow when ripe. The seeds are oblong and engraved on both sides. Flowering and fruiting period may 5- 10/0 month. Bitter gourd is native to East India and widely cultivated in tropical to temperate regions of the world. China is widely cultivated in both north and south.