1. Yunnan small bitter melon

Plant trailing, strong branching, thin stem, tendrils solitary, single plant melon, can reach dozens. Leaves palmate, dark green, leaf surface smooth. Melon globular, transverse diameter of about 5cm, skin green, fruit surface with small and dense tumors, flesh green, thick about 0.4cm. young melon flavor and ordinary bitter melon, brittle texture, bitter taste. There are 3 ventricles, the old mature melon placenta red, the seeds surrounded by red melon flesh, sweet flavor, each melon about 15 seeds or so, the seeds are smaller than ordinary bitter melon, brown.

2. Wild bitter melon

Wild in the tropical rain forest and subtropical areas. Plants trailing, thin stems, strong branching. Leaf blade is small, heart-shaped, without notch, 8.5cm long, 8.5cm wide, leaf blade is smooth on the front and back, petiole is 6.5cm long, with 5 ribs. Single tendril. Heterogamous flowers, both campanulate, petals 5, yellow, petiole 7cm long, 5-angled, ebracteate. Melon oval, 4.2cm long, 3.0cm across, young melon green, with 9 longitudinal verrucae, surface smooth, flesh 0.4cm thick, white-green. Old ripe melon orange-red, seeds surrounded by red melon flesh. Seeds black, bilateral, square, smaller than ordinary bitter melon seeds.

Wild bitter gourd has the following differences compared with common bitter gourd: wild bitter gourd leaves are heart-shaped and not y lobed, while common bitter gourd leaves are palmately y lobed; wild bitter gourd's bitter flavor is light, while the common bitter gourd leaves are also bitter; common bitter gourd petiole is long with a peltate bracts, but wild bitter gourd does not have. The specific botanical classification of wild bitter melon has not been further reported.