- Family : CUCURBITACEAE
(Gourd Or Melon Family)
- Family (Hindi name) : KHARBOOZA FAMILY (खरबूजा फैमिली)
- Family (as per The APG System III) : Cucurbitaceae
- Species Name (as per The IPNI) : Momordica charantia L.
- Common name : Bitter Gourd, Bitter melon, Balsam Apple, Balsam Pear, Carilla fruit, Karela
- Vernacular name :
- Karela , Kareli (Hindi)
- Haagalakai (Kannada)
- Paaharkaai, Pakal, Pakarkai (Tamil)
- Kakorra, Kakara (Telugu)
- Kalara, Kolera (Oria)
- Karavallaka (Sanskrit)
- Karale (Marathi)
- Kaippakka, Kattukayya, Paval, Pavakkai, Pantipavel, Undapaval, Kaippanpaval, Erimappasai, Erimapasel, Erumpavel, Kattuppavel, Kattupadavalam, Machippavel, Undapaval, Vempaval, Vennpavel (Malayalam)
- Habit : Climber
- Comments / notes : On foothills to 1300m, on thickets and slopes. Cultivated for its edible fruits.
- Flower, Fruit : Throughout the year
- Distribution :
- Karnataka : Karnataka
- Kerala : All districts of Kerala
- Maharashtra : Akola district
- West Bengal : West Bengal
- Uttar Pradesh : Uttar Pradesh
- Punjab : Punjab
- Native : Angola, Australia, Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Borneo, Burkina, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Repu, Chad, Christmas Island, Congo, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Gulf of Guinea Islands, India, Ivory Coast, Jaw
- Exotic/Native : Native
- World Distribution : Paleotropics
- Conservation Status : Not Evaluated (NE)
- Literature :
- Pullaiah et al., 2007 - Flora of Eastern Ghats Vol. 3
- J.L.Ellis, 1987- Flora of Nallamalais Vol. 1
- R. S. Rao et al., 1986 - Flora of West Godavari District
- R. S. Rao and S. H. Sreeramulu, 1986 - Flora of Srikakulam District
- H. O. Saxena and M. Brahmam, 1989 - The Flora of Similipahar (Similipal), Orissa
- Matthew, K.M., Flora of Tamil Nadu Carnatic, Vol.3 (1). Diocesan Press, Madras. 1983
- Kamble & Pradhan, 1988. Flora of Akola District, Maharashtra. Botanical Survey of India
- Sasidharan, N. 2011. Flowering plants of Kerala. DVD, V 2, KFRI.
- Ramaswamy & Razi, 1973 - Flora of Bangalore district, Karnataka state
- N.P.Singh, 1988- Flora of Eastern Karnataka.
- Read more :
- Citation : Sankara Rao, K., Deepak Kumar (2024). India Flora Online. http://indiafloraonline-ces.iisc.ac.in/plants.php?name=Momordica charantia. Downloaded on 21 November 2024.
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India Distribution
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World Distribution
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