8. Momordica charantia Linnaeus (1753: 1009) (Fig. 10)

Synonyms:— Sicyos fauriei Léveillé (1911: 150) .

Cucumis intermedius Roemer (1846: 80) .

Cucumis argyi Léveillé (1916: 8) .

Local Name: —Ikpan Ekpo (Annang), Ikon Ekpo (Ibibio).

Common Name: —Bitter gourd.

Habitat: —Roadsides, dumpsites, fallow bush.

Description:— Herb, trailing and climbing means of unbranched tendrils; monoecious. Stem herbaceous, climbing, pubescent, angular, 0.1 cm diam.; tendrils unbranched. Leaves simple, alternately arranged, petiolate, acute, undulate, glabrous, palmately lobed with 5 lobes joined towards leaf base, 4–6 × 5–7 cm; petiole herbaceous, cylindrical, glabrous, 2.5 cm long. Inflorescence solitary, pedicellate, pedicel 4–7 cm long, 0.1–0.2 cm diam.; calyx with 5 sepals, green; corolla with 5 petals, yellow, glabrous. Fruit berry with irregular surface, short round, green when unripe, orange to yellow when ripe, 4–6 × 2–4 cm, with many seeds (± 15–25). Seed flat, blackish, surrounded by red aril, 0.8–1.0 × 0.5 cm.

Location in Akwa Ibom:— Obot Akara, Uyo, Ibesikpo Asutan, and Ikot Abasi.

Abundance:— It existed in 40% of the sampling areas and was frequent in all these sampling areas.