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Published In: Species Plantarum 2: 1009. 1753. (1 May 1753) (Sp. Pl.) Name publication detailView in BotanicusView in Biodiversity Heritage Library
 

Project Name Data (Last Modified On 6/2/2011)
Acceptance : Accepted
Project Data     (Last Modified On 6/3/2011)
Contributor Text: S. NAZIMUDDIN AND S. SHAHARYAR H. NAQVI
Flower/Fruit: Fl. Per.: Aug.-November.
Type: Lectotype: From a plant cultivated at Hartekamp, Holland (BM).
Distribution: Distribution: Widespread in the drier parts of South Africa and Tropical Africa, Arabia, Tropical Asia and Australia.
Comment/Acknowledgements: Fairly common in Sind and Punjab, up to 300 metres.

Tender fruits are eaten as vegetable or pickled; also used for flavouring various dishes. Leaves and stem are used as camel fodder. The plant is considered stomachic and tonic. The fruits contain momordicin which appears to be identical with elaterin.

Illustration: Momordica balsamina L. (Illustration)
Map Location: G-4 Karachi Dist.: Darsano Chano, Sultanul Abedin 14, 1323, 5429 (KUH); ibid., Sultanul Abedin & Ch. Ghafoor 1351 (KUH); Malir, 2.4. 1958, Asif Zaidi s.n. (KUH); Memon Goth, S.M.H. Jafri 1286 (KUH); University Campus, 16.2. 1960, 3.4. 1960, Razia Siddique s.n. (KUH); Manghopir, 23.9.1956, Khurshid Anwari s.n. (KUH); Clifton, 25.1.1957, Khurshid Anwari s.n. (KUH); G-5 Tan dojam Dist.: Tajpur-Nasarpur, 21.10.1959, A. Jalis s.n. (KUH); 11.5 miles from Hyderabad on way to Lahore, Sultanul Abedin 3923 (KUH).

 

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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.
 
 
 
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