M O M ORDICA, 0li9 
s. Momordica balfamina, common momordica or male 
'balfam-apple: pomes angular, tubercled; leaves fmooth, 
fpreading-palmate. Stems trailing, like thole of the 
cucumber and melon, extending three or four feet in 
length, and fending out many fide-branches, which have 
tendrils. Leaves lhaped like thofe of the vine, fmooth, 
deeply cut into feveral fegments, and fpreading open like 
the hand. The fruit, which is called a pome by Linnaeus, 
and a berry by Gaertner, is flelhy, ovate, drawn to a point 
at each end, obfcurely angular, remotely tubercled in 
longitudinal rows, fmooth in the other parts, red when 
ripe, one-celled, inflated, burfting irregularly, and dif- 
perling the feeds with a fpring. Seeds fixed to the inlide 
of the fruit in three longitudinal rows, and in fuch a 
manner that the umbilicus alternately points to the right 
and left of the fame row: they are ovate, flatted a little, 
horizontal, bluntly notched at the edge, and marked with 
rifing ferpentine lines; but on the difk rugged, with 
railed dots: their colour is pale brown; and they are 
covered with a membranaceous, thin, red aril. The fruc¬ 
tification of this fpecies is exhibited in 7 figures on the 
Botany Plate XIV. vol. iii. and fig. 1 of the annexed 
Plate, copied from Seba, gives the general appearance of 
the whole plant. It is a native of India; and was culti¬ 
vated here in 1568, as appears from Turner’s Herbal. 
It flowers in June and July. This plant is famous in 
Syria for curing wounds. They cut open the unripe 
fruit, and infufe it in fweet oil; it is then expofed to the 
fun for fome days, until the oil is become red; and may 
be applied to a frefli wound dropped on cotton. The 
Syrians efteem it next to balfam of Mecca. The leaves 
and Hems are ufed for arbours or bowers. 
2. Momordica charantia, or hairy momordica: pomes 
angular, tubercled ; leaves villofe, longitudinally palmate. 
Stem round, flender, branched, climbing by lateral ten¬ 
drils. Flowers fometimes hermaphrodite, on long, axil¬ 
lary, one-flowered, peduncles; corolla yellow, ufually 
five-parted, but fometimes fix-parted. Fruit oblong, 
bluntly angular, tubercled, drawn to a point at each end; 
white, yellow, or green, on the outfide; within very red 
and fleftiy, one-celled ; it burfts elaftically. Seeds ovate, 
flat, bitten at the edge. Linnaeus obferves, that the cor¬ 
date embracing involucre marks a great affinity between 
this and the preceding; but in this it is quite entire, in 
that toothed. 
Mr. Miller, following Tournefort, makes two fpecies 
of this, with a^ longer and with a fliorter fruit, a. The 
firft has the leaves extended more in length, and hairy; 
the fruit is much longer than that of M. balfamina, and 
not fo deeply channelled ; the tubercles are fcattered all 
over the furface, and are not lharp; the colour when ripe 
is yellow. | 3 . The fecond, which he names M.zeylanica, 
has the fruit ffiort and pointed, like that of M. balfamina, 
but does not fwell fo large in the middle; the angles are 
not deep, and the whole furface is clofely fet with (harp 
tubercles'; when ripe it is of a deep orange colour. Na¬ 
tive of the Eaft Indies ; cultivated in 1731, by Mr. Miller; 
flowers in June and July. 
3. Momordica Senegalenfis, or African balfam-apple: 
pome ovate, acute, tubercular; brafte heart-lhaped, en¬ 
tire, near the bale of the flower-ftalk ; leaves feven-lobed, 
deeply palmate, fome what toothed,, and rather hairy. 
Gathered by M. Rouffillon in Senegal. More hairy or 
downy than M.charantia; the leaves Imaller, more deeply 
lobed; flower-ltalks generally longer; fruit lhorter, be¬ 
ing oval, and not above an inch long, warty; flowers 
fmall. Lamarch. 
4. Momordica operculata, or lidded momordica: pomes 
angular-tubercled, having a lid from the falling of the 
top; leaves lobed. Fruit green,' the top falling off when 
it is ripe, like a lid; within it has no pulp, but is dry, 
and filled with netted fibres, very much interwoven, 
and is three-celled. Seeds compreffed, black. Native of 
'America. 
5 Momordica luffa, or Egyptian momordica: pomes 
oblong; grooves like a chain; leaves gaflied. Stem an¬ 
gular, very much branched, climbing by bifid.fpiral ten¬ 
drils. Leaves having five or feven lharp angles, the mid¬ 
dle one double the length of the others, unequally ferrate., 
veined, wrinkled, oh long alternate petioles. Male flowers 
feveral together, terminating: corolla fix-parted,wrinkled, 
fpreading. Females lateral, folitary: corolla five-parted, 
reflex. Pome a foot long, two inches thick, roundilh, 
ufually drawn to a point at each end, hairy, three ceiled, 
with a white, flaccid, efculent pulp, of an infipid flavour. 
Seeds oblong, compreffed, fmooth. The Arabians call 
this plant liff, or luff; they cultivate it, and it climbs up 
the palm-trees, covering and elegantly adorning their 
trunks. It is alfo cultivated very largely in China and 
Cochin-china, &c. The fruit, when young, is made into 
a pickle, like the mango; but it has a difagreeable»tafte, 
and is not accounted very wholefome. Mr. Miller, fol¬ 
lowing Tournefort, has made it a diftinft genus from 
Momordica, but does not feparate this fpecies from the 
next fucceeding. Native of the Eaft Indies; cultivated, 
in 1739 by Mr. Miller; flowers in July and Auguft. 
6. Momordica cylindrica, or long-fruited momordica : 
pomes cylindric, very long; leaves with acute angles. 
Stem five-angled. Leaves like thofe of the cucumber, 
ferrate-toothed at the bafe, the middle angle more 
lengthened, the finufes not widened as in the preceding, 
but with ftraight angles. Pomes a foot long, fubvillol'e, 
cylindric. Seeds black. Native of Ceylon and China. 
7. Momordica trifolia, or three-leaved momordica: 
pomes ovate, muricate; leaves ternate, toothed. Native 
of the Eaft Indies. 
8. Momordica pedata, or pedate-leaved momordica: 
pomes ftriated ; leaves pedate, ferrate. Native of Peru. 
9. Momordica lanata, or woolly balfam-apple: leaves 
ternate, pinnatifid, rough; pome woolly. Native of the 
Cape of Good Hope. 
xo. Momordica echinata, or briftly balfam-apple: pome 
with four feeds, roundifh, befet with long briftles ; leaves 
heart-lhaped^ roughilh, with five fliarp angular lobes, ob¬ 
fcurely toothed. Native of Pennfylvania, towards the 
river Ohio. Stem deeply furrowed, fmooth; tendrils 
long, divided, not many-cleft; leaves on long ftalks, op- 
polite to each tendril, of a pentagonal figure, with five 
divaricated pointed diftantly-toothed lobes, heart-lhaped 
at the bafe, where there is a fmall additional lobe, or 
dilatation, on each fide: both furfaces of the leaves are 
rough with extremely-minute prickles, efpecially on the 
ribs and veins, though Michaux and Willdenow deferibe 
them as fmooth. Flowers fmall; the males very nume¬ 
rous, in axillary downy panicles, from two to fix inches 
long: females folitary, ftalked, at the bale of the {talk of 
the panicle. Fruit roundilh, the iize of a goofeberry, 
prickly, with only four feeds. 
11. Momordica dioica, or dioecous balfam-apple : pome 
elliptical, muricated; flowers dioecous ; leaves heart- 
lhaped, pointed, toothed. Native of the Eaft Indies. 
Stem angular, climbing. Leaves heart-lhaped, undivided, 
pointed, toothed, fmooth on both fides, two inches 
long. Tendrils Ample. Fruit the fize of the firft fpe¬ 
cies. Willdenow. 
12. Momordica fpicata, or fpiked balfam apple: leaves 
heart-lhaped, flightly three-lobed, wavy, rough; male 
flowers in long loofe fpikes, with fan-fliape'd, rough, 
toothed brakes; female, axillary folitary; germen ellip¬ 
tical, rough ; ftem furrowed, flightly prickly. Leaves on 
long rough ftalks, oppofite to the tendrils, heart-lhaped, 
with three or five flight angular lobes, wavy, rough with 
minute callous tubercles, the veins hifp.id. The 'male 
inflorefcence marks this as a very diftindf fpecies, that 
feems not to be any where deferibed. It is from the 
Herbarium of the younger Linneus. 
13. Momordica elaterium, or elaltic momordica : pomes 
hilpid j tendrils none. This has a large flelhy pertnaial 
3 . root, 
