Momordica charantia : Forms and Sizes

Bitter gourd ( Momordica charantia ) comes in a variety of shapes and sizes, with colour ranging from green to white.

The cultivar common in China ( M. charantia forma charantia ) is 20–30 cm long, oblong with bluntly tapering ends and pale green in color, with a gently undulating, warty surface.   

The Indian variety ( M. charantia forma abbreviata ) has a narrower shape with pointed ends, and a surface covered with jagged, triangular "teeth" and ridges.

  

Between these two extremes are any number of intermediate forms.  Some bear miniature fruit of only 6–10 cm in length. 

Momordica

Momordica is a genus of about 80 species of annual or perennial herbaceous climber belong to the family Cucurbitaceae., natives to tropical and subtropical Africa, Asia and Australia.

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Momordica charantia, bitter gourd 苦瓜is native to Africa, but long been used in Chinese folk medicine. The fruit has a distinct warty looking exterior with an oblong shape. It is hollow in cross-section, with a relatively thin layer of flesh surrounding a central seed cavity filled with large flat seeds and pith. Seeds and pith appear white in unripe fruits, ripening to red.

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Bitter gourd comes in a variety of shapes and sizes. The typical Chinese phenotype is 20 – 30 cm long. The Indian type has a narrower shape with ridges surface. Some with miniature fruit of only 8 – 10 cm in length.

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The bitter taste is from momordicin , which is said to have a stomachic effect

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