Plants · La Saladita, Guerrero

Bitter Melon

Momordica charantia

Spanish: Balsamina

Momordica charantia, known as bitter melon, bitter gourd, bitter squash, or balsam-pear, is a tropical and subtropical vine of the family Cucurbitaceae, widely grown in Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean for its edible fruit. Its many varieties differ substantially in the shape and bitterness of the fruit. It is sometimes known by names loaned from Asian languages.

TaxonomyMagnoliopsida › Cucurbitales › Cucurbitaceae

Local records48 research-grade observations within about 50 km of La Saladita (the survey box also takes in Zihuatanejo, Ixtapa and Troncones)

Global records30,457 on iNaturalist

Most recent records2025 – 2026

Months of the 8 most recent records

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Recent local sightings

2026-02-02 — observation by jwagner1960
2026-01-10 — observation by zihuadean
2026-01-03 — observation by robertomartinez97
2025-12-31 — observation by thomas_hartt
2025-12-23 — observation by betootero
2025-12-10 — observation by froyce

Interactive card with more photos, sounds and similar species Plants guide iNaturalist Wikipedia

Cite as: “Bitter Melon (Momordica charantia) at La Saladita”, La Saladita Field Guide, lasaladita.com/species/momordica-charantia/, updated 2026-09-26. Observation counts and months come from iNaturalist research-grade records within about 50 km of 17.8375°N, 101.7606°W (the survey box also takes in Zihuatanejo, Ixtapa and Troncones); summary text from Wikipedia where present.