The Scientific name of Bitter Gourd is Momordica charantia, and it belongs to Family Cucurbitaceae (Cucumber family). It is sometimes referred as Bitter Melon. Popularly known as Karela in India. Bitter gourd is a slender creeper trained on a trellis with dark green or greenish white oval fruits with blunt tubercles tapering towards the end, as the shape of a gulli in the India’s native play of ‘Gulli and Danda’. The climber also makes an ornamental hedge. It is a summer and rainy season crop suited for Indian conditions. There are small fruited and large fruited varieties.
