Momordica charantia L.

 
  • 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
    • Uttarakhand : Uttarakhand
    • Sikkim : Sikkim
    • West Bengal : West Bengal
    • Himachal Pradesh : Shimla district
    • Arunachal Pradesh : Arunachal Pradesh
    • Meghalaya : Meghalaya
    • Assam : Assam
    • Nagaland : Nagaland
    • Delhi : Delhi
    • Uttar Pradesh : Uttar Pradesh
    • Punjab : Punjab
    • Jammu and Kashmir : Jammu and Kashmir
    • Mizoram : Mizoram
    • Manipur : Manipur
    • Tripura : Tripura
  • 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.
    • H J, Chowdhery, et al. Flora of Himachal Pradesh. Volume 1, Botanical Survey of India, 1984. Pg.: 304
  • Read more :
  • Permalink : http://indiaflora-ces.iisc.ac.in/plants.php?name=Momordica charantia
  • Citation : Sankara Rao, K., Deepak Kumar (2025). India Flora Online. http://indiaflora-ces.iisc.ac.in/plants.php?name=Momordica charantia. Downloaded on 20 July 2025.

Botanical Description

Herbarium Specimen(s)

Line Drawings

Field Image(s)

India Distribution

World Distribution

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