Momordica charantia var. muricata

Momordica charantia var. muricata (Willd.) H.L. Chakravarty, Fasc. Fl. India 11: 92 1982. (syn: Momordica muricata Willd.);
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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)
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Wild bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L):
Wild bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L). It is used in ayurvedic medicine.

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 ?:
On further checking, it comes close to Momordica balsamina as per the following:
https://www.researchgate.Fruits-ofM-balsamina-b-M-charantia-c-M

It’s Momordica charantia var muricata wild form of bittergourd

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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)
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Fwd: [efloraofindia:167419] Fwd: M. charantia var. muricata?- Palamala hills, Dhoni : Attachments (3). 6 posts by 4 authors.
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 do not know whether it is a valid name.

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

Yes Sir, in “Bengal Plants” too Dr. Prain thinks both are synonyms, attaching the screenshot, also part of Flora Indica.

 

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