Momordica charantia var. muricata (Willd.) H.L. Chakravarty, Fasc. Fl. India 11: 92 1982. (syn: Momordica muricata Willd.); Annual climber with unbranched glabrous tendrils, monoecious. Stem pubescent to glabrescent. Leaves orbicular, 1.5-5.0 (-12.0) cm long and as broad, cordate, glabrous or sparsely hairy, 3-5-lobed, middle lobes broadly ovate or rhombic-ovate, sinuate-dentate or acutely lobulate. Petiole 1-3(-4) cm long, pubescent. Flowers yellow, 2.5-3.0 cm across, pedicellate. Male flowers solitary, on 1.5(-7) cm long peduncle, bearing near the apex a sessile, broadly ovate-cordate, subglabrous, dentate bract; female flowers on 5-15 mm long basally bracteate or ebracteate peduncles. Calyx tube 5-6 mm long, pubescent, lobes ovate, acuminate, 3-3.5 mm broad. Corolla slightly zygomorphic, brown at base, lobes yellow, obovate, 10-15 mm long, 8-10(-12) mm broad. Ovary fusiform, beaked, puberulous, longitudinally tuberculate. Fruit broadly ovoid, narrowed at ends, 2-7 cm long, 1-2.5 cm broad, orange-red, tuberculate. Seeds elliptic-ovate, 1-1.2 cm long, 6-7 mm broad. Flowering and fruiting: June-September Cultivated, also run in wild Tropical countries (Attributions- Dr. N Sasidharan (Dr. B P Pal Fellow), Kerala Forest Research Institute, Peechi from India Biodiversity Portal)
Cultivated in our farm. Seeds are collected from the wild (Pooyamkutty) I will upload flower picture as and when I get the same. I havent noticed this so far. My mother told me that there are fruits now that are so small but nicely colored. length is about 3-6cm if it is from wild, it may belong to some other species rather than M. charantia. Thank you for the suggestion. I will check the same and get back to you. Can it be Momordica balsamina as per the following ?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDnvj6POXKc On further checking, it comes close to Momordica balsamina as per the following: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/51223140_fig3_Figure-3-Fruits-of-Momordica-spp-a-M-balsamina-b-M-charantia-c-M It's Momordica charantia var muricata wild form of bittergourd
06062013 ASP 43 : Attachments (1). Can you please ID this climbing plant with yellow flowers and fruits (probably a momordica sp.). Photo was taken in a home garden in Sri Lanka in Dec 2012. Momordica charantia var. muricata, I suppose. This variety is now a synonym of M. charantia. It occurs both in wild and cultivation; used as vegetable. Tamil Name: நெரி பாகல் (Neri paagal)
Momordica sp. collected from Kerala during 26-30 September, 2013 It is M. charantia var. muricata? efi page on Momordica charantia It does look like Momordica muricata Willd., a document in this regard can be found at - http://www.currentscience.ac.in/Volumes/103/02/0178.pdf, though as per Flora Indica, fruit should be tapering at both ends. For me you are ID is perfect. Nevertheless as per plant list : Momordica charantia var. muricata (Willd.) Chakrav.is a synonym of Momordica charantia L. I think yes Momordica muricata Identity with M. muricata is fine but as ... mentions it is considered as synonym of M. charantia by both The Plant List and GRIN |
# Species- Seed plants (families) > A---L (families & genera) > Cl > Cucurbitaceae > Momordica >
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