| Momordica balsamina | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Cucurbitales |
| Family: | Cucurbitaceae |
| Genus: | Momordica |
| Species: | M. balsamina |
| Binomial name | |
| Momordica balsamina | |
Momordica balsamina, known by the common namebalsam apple, is a species of tendril-bearingannualvine native to tropical regions of Africa, as well as introduced andinvasive in parts of Asia, Australia, Central America, and North America.[1] In 1810,Thomas Jefferson planted this vine in his flower borders at his Virginia home ofMonticello, along withlarkspur,poppies, andnutmeg.[2]
_fruit_(16607194208).jpg)
M. balsamina is a climbing annual to perennialherbaceous plant up to 5 meters long. Its stem is thin, angular and slightly hairy. The alternately arranged leaves are divided intopetiole and leaf blade. The hairy petiole is short. The soft, thin leaf blade is up to 12 centimeters in size, heart-shaped and broadly ovate to rounded in outline. The sparsely hairyleaf blade ispalmately divided into five to seven lobes and the leaf lobes are each multiply lobed or remotely sharp-toothed. The leaf margins are entire and often pointed on the lobe tips or teeth. The thintendrils are simple and long.
It has pale yellow, deeply veinedflowers and round, somewhat warty, bright orangefruits, colloquially called "apples". When ripe, the fruits burst apart, revealing numerous seeds covered with a brilliant scarlet, extremely sticky coating.
Amonoecious plant, its flowers, some of which have long stalks, appear individually, laterally, each with abract. The single flowers are five-fold with a doubleperianth. The finely hairycalyx has five lobes. The corolla is white or yellow. The female flowers are short-stalked, the ovary is inferior and single-chambered and slightly below the calyx. Thestylus is three-branched with a divided scar per branch.Staminodes may be present. The male flowers are longer-stalked and have five fused stamens in threes,[clarification needed] with feathery and branchinganthers. At the bottom of thestamens, appendages can be formed inside.
The red or orange leathery berries are pointed-humped, ellipsoid and short-beaked with a length of 4.5 to 7 centimeters. When the fruit ripens, it opens with three flaps and releases the many seeds. The up to about 1 centimeter large, elliptical and brownish, sculpted seeds are each covered in a red, sticky seed coat "pulp" (a falsearillus).
Some botanical texts[who?] indicate that the outer rind and the seeds of the fruit are poisonous, though theTsonga people of southern Africa are known to eat the leaves and fruit of the plant; in West Africa, it is a popular anti-malaria remedy.[3] The balsam apple was introduced into Europe by 1568 and was used medicinally to treat wounds.[citation needed] "Oleum Momordicae" was understood in pharmacy as tree oil poured onto the fruits ofMomordica balsamina. The fruit and leaves are used as a soap substitute. The plant sap can be used medicinally or as a metal cleaner, and it is also processed into anarrow poison.
Momordica balsamina and the relatedMomordica charantia share some common names: African cucumber, balsam apple, and balsam pear. Other names forM. balsamina are balsamina or southern balsam pear.[4][5] It is known in Africa under a broad range of names, e.g. in Mozambique ascacana and in South Africa asnkaka.In theHausa language, it is known asGarahuni orGarafuni.