balsam-apple

Momordica balsamina is a tendril-bearing annual vine in the gourd family, Cucurbitaceae. It is native to tropical Africa and has been introduced to and is invasive in parts of Asia, Australia, Central America, and North America. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753. It is known by the common name balsam-apple. In 1810, Thomas Jefferson included this vine in his flower borders at Monticello, Virginia, alongside other ornamental plants. Historically, it was considered the generitype for the genus Momordica by Britton & Millspaugh in 1920, but under the Vienna Code, the type has been replaced by Momordica charantia, as designated by Green in 1929.