Momordica

Plant Characteristics

Cultivation

Scientific Names

Momordica >

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Read about Momordica in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Momordica (momordi, from mordeo, to bite, since the seeds appear to have been ' bitten). Cucurbitaceae. Annual or perennial tendril-climbing herbs of tropical countries, some of which are cultivated for ornament and also for the edible fruits. Annual or perennial: fls. monoecious or dioecious, the staminate solitary or panicled, the pistillate solitary; corolla and calyx similar in sterile and fertile fls.; corolla-segms. 5, often extending nearly to the base, making a rotate or broadly campanulate fl.; stamens usually 3. the short filaments free, one of the anthers 1-loculed and the others 2-loculed; style single and long, with 3 stigmas: fr. oblong or nearly spherical, small, often rough, usually many-seeded, sometimes splitting into 3 valves, but usually indehiscent; seeds usually flattened, often oddly marked or sculptured: tendrils simple, in this distinguished from Luffa.— Species about 35, chiefly in Trop. Afr. also Trop. Asia. Two momordicas (M. Charantia and M. Balsamina) are known to American gardens as ornamental vines, but the frs. of M. Charantia are eaten by the American Chinese. They are tender annuals and thrive where cucumbers and gourds will grow. They are excellent in the S. for covering porches and arbors. M. Elaterium of the catalogues is Ecballium, which see. M. cochinchinensis, Spreng. (M. mixta, Roxbg.), is a large species with 3-lobed lvs.. pale yellow, purple-eyed fls., 4 in. across, and an oblong, bright red fr. 4-7 in. long. Farther India. B.M. 5145. F.S. 14:1478. G.C. III. 16:531. G.M. 37:777. The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

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References

• Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963

External links

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