Health Benefits of Wild Bitter Gourd

Wild Bitter Gourd is a dioecious and perennial scandent herb with glabrous or puberluent, angular stem and unbranched, short and filiform tendrils. Leaves are thin, membranous, 3-5 palmately lobed, 3-5 veined on slender, 5 cm long and glabrous petiole. Leaf blade is veined on slender and ovate-reniform. Flowers are solitary in leaf axils, yellow and 5 cm across. Calyx is tubular, five lobed, lobe is ovate and apex emarginate. Female flowers on 6-7 cm long pedicle with minute bract at base. An ovary is superior, ovate-oblong or fusiform and 8–12 × 2–4 mm. Fruit is a pepo slender and glabrous pedicel, ovoid or ovateoblong, 3–7 cm and 2.5–4 cm in diameter. Seeds are oblong, ovoid or globose, gray or yellow-brown and 7–14 mm by 5–8 mm.

Wild Bitter Gourd Quick Facts
Name:	Wild Bitter Gourd
Scientific Name:	Momordica subangulata
Origin	The old World tropics – India, southeast Asia to south China
Shapes	Ovoid or ovateoblong, 3–7 cm, 2.5–4 cm in diameter

Name	Wild Bitter Gourd
Scientific Name	Momordica subangulata
Native	The old World tropics – India, southeast Asia to south China
Common/English Name	Teasel Gourd, Frog Gourd, Wild Bitter Gourd
Name in Other Languages	Chinese: Ao E Mu Bie, Yun Nan Mu Bie; India: Bhat Karela; Indonesia: Pare Hutan (Malay, Sumatra), Repiye Imbo (Rejang, Sumatra); Malaysia: Kambas, Peria Katak; Thai: Phak Hai, Phakmae; Vietnam: Gấc Cạnh
Plant Growth Habit	Dioecious, perennial scandent herb
Stem	Glabrous or puberulent, angular
Leaf	Simple, 3-5-palmately lobed, thin
Flower	Solitary, yellow, up to 5 cm across
Fruit shape & size	Ovoid or ovateoblong, 3–7 cm, 2.5–4 cm in diameter
Seed	Gray or yellow-brown, oblong, ovoid or globose, 7–14 mm  by  5–8  mm

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