Japanese name: ニガウリ（苦瓜） Scientific name:Momordica charantia
[Overview]
A climbing perennial treated as an annual in Japan.
The vines grow to 4–5 m long.
The leaves are alternate and palmately divided into 5–9 lobes.
The flowers are yellow, with separate male and female flowers.
The fruit is 15–50 cm long and varies from slender and spindle-shaped to stout.
The skin is covered with countless fine warts.
When ripe the fruit turns yellow and splits open, and the seeds show.
The surface of fully ripe seeds is covered with a red, jelly-like aril.
[History]
It came to Japan from China as an ornamental plant before the Keicho era of the Edo period.
