Author: | Carl Linnaeus, 1753 |
Family: |
CUCURBITACEAE |
Origin: |
Angola,
Australia, Benin, Botswana, Burkina, Cameroon, Caprivi
Strip, Chad, Eswatini, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Mali, Mauritania,
Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Senegal,
Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe |
Soil: |
Mix |
Water:
|
Medium |
Sun: |
Maximum |
Thickness: |
4
Centimetres |
Height: |
50 Centimetres (5
meters) |
Flower:
|
White - Yellow |
Propagate: |
Seeds/Cuttings |
Names:
|
Bitter Melon, Balsam
Apple |
Synonyms: |
Momordica
involucrata, E. Meyer ex Sonder.
Momordica schinzii,
Cogn.
Momordica garipensis, E.Mey.
Momordica garriepensis, Arn.
Momordica huberi, Tod.
Momordica involucrata, E.Mey. ex Sond.
Nevrosperma cuspidata, Raf. |
This member of the Cucurbitaceae family
was described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753. It is found in most of Africa,
the Arab peninsular and strangely enough: Australia. It grows in a
well drained soil with some water and lots of sun. The vines will
grow up to five meters long. The flowers from white to yellow with two
almost black spots.
The name comes from Mordio:
'to
bite' after the bitten appearance of the seeds. The
species name from Latin:
balsamum referring to one of it's medical uses. |