balsam pear
Momordica cochinchinensis Spreng.
Momordica cochinchinensis, known as balsam pear, is a plant species in the Cucurbitaceae family. Native to Southeast Asia and Queensland, it is characterized by its orange-reddish coloration due to beta-carotene and lycopene. The species was first described in 1826 by Spreng.
Description
Momordica cochinchinensis is distributed across several regions, including TW, Andaman Is., Assam, Bangladesh, Borneo, Cambodia, China South-Central, China Southeast, East Himalaya, India, Jawa, Laos, Malaya, Maluku, Myanmar, New Guinea, Nicobar Is., Philippines, Queensland, and Sulawesi. Commonly referred to as gac in Vietnamese, this plant is part of the melon and cucumber family and is known for its vibrant coloration. It is a native species of Southeast Asia and has been documented in botanical literature since 1826.
Other common names
Chinese bitter-cucumberChinese-cucumberbalsam-pearsweet gourdgiant spine gourdspiny bitter-cucumberbalsam pear
Distribution
TW · Andaman Is. · Assam · Bangladesh · Borneo · Cambodia · China South-Central · China Southeast · East Himalaya · India · Jawa · Laos · Malaya · Maluku · Myanmar · New Guinea · Nicobar Is. · Philippines · Queensland · Sulawesi · Sumatera · Taiwan · Thailand · Tibet · Trinidad-Tobago · Vietnam
Synonyms
Momordica suringariiMuricia cochinchinensisMomordica ovataMomordica melonifloraMomordica mixtaMomordica sphaeroideaMomordica macrophyllaZucca commersoniana
