Momordica charantia L.

McQuate, Grant T. & Liquido, Nicanor J., 2013, Annotated World Bibliography of Host Fruits of Bactrocera latifrons (Hendel) (Diptera: Tephritidae), Insecta Mundi 2013 (289), pp. 1-61 : 19-20

Momordica charantia L.

GRIN Nomen number: 24520

Family: Cucurbitaceae

Common Name: balsam-apple (English), Balsambirne (German), balsamito (Spanish), balsam (Spanish), balsam-pear (English), bitter gourd (English), bitter melon (English), bitter-cucumber (English), bittergurka (Swedish), Bittergurke (German), carilla gourd (English), concombre africain (French), cundeamor (Spanish), ka gua (Transcribed Chinese), karela ( India), margose (French), momordique (French), yeoju (Transcribed Korean).

Native: AFRICA - East Tropical Africa: Kenya; Tanzania; Uganda; West-Central Tropical Africa: Burundi; Cameroon; Gabon; Rwanda; Zaire; West Tropical Africa: Benin; Cote D’Ivoire; Gambia; Ghana; Liberia; Mali; Nigeria; Senegal; Sierra Leone; South Tropical Africa: Angola; Malawi; Mozambique; Zambia; Zimbabwe; Western Indian Ocean: Madagascar; ASIA-TEMPERATE - China: China – Yunnan; ASIA-TROPICAL - Indian Subcontinent: India; Nepal; Pakistan; Sri Lanka; Indo-China: Cambodia; Thailand; Vietnam; Malesia: Indonesia; Malaysia; Papua New Guinea; Philippines; AUSTRALASIA - Australia: Australia – Queensland; PACIFIC - South-Central Pacific: French Polynesia; Southwestern Pacific: Fiji.

Naturalized: NORTHERN AMERICA - Southeastern U.S.A.: United States - Florida, Louisiana; South-Central U.S.A.: United States - southeastern Texas; Mexico; PACIFIC - North-Central Pacific: United States - Hawaii; SOUTHERN AMERICA - Mesoamerica: Belize; Costa Rica; El Salvador; Guatemala; Honduras; Nicaragua; Panama; Caribbean: Bahamas; Barbados; Cayman Islands; Cuba; Dominica; Dominican Republic; Grenada; Guadeloupe; Haiti; Jamaica; Martinique; Montserrat; Netherlands Antilles; Puerto Rico; St. Kitts and Nevis; St. Lucia; St.Vincent and Grenadines; Virgin Islands (British); Virgin Islands ( U.S.); Northern South America: French Guiana; Guyana; Suriname; Venezuela; Brazil: Brazil; Western South America: Bolivia; Ecuador; Peru; Southern South America: Argentina; Paraguay.

Listing Only: Liquido et al. 1994 (references “E.J.H. [unpublished data]” – E.J.H. = Ernest J. Harris).

Momordica charantia var. abbreviata Ser. , see Momordica charantia L.

Momordica muricata Willd. , see Momordica charantia L.