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Magnoliopsida
Momordica L.
EOL Text
Prostrate or climbing, monoecious or dioecious, herbs. Flowers white, cream, yellow or orange. Male flowers often with a prominent bract. Petals 5, free. Stamens 3, two 2-thecous, one 1-thecous or less often 2, one 3-thecous and the other 2-thecous. Female flowers solitary. Stigma 3-lobed. Fruit tuberculate, spiny, winged or ribbed, rarely smooth.
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Rights holder/Author | Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings, Flora of Zimbabwe |
Source | http://www.zimbabweflora.co.zw/speciesdata/genus.php?genus_id=1440 |
Chile Central
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Pablo Gutierrez, IABIN |
Source | No source database. |
Momordica
Bejucos herbáceos, monoicos, con zarcillos axilares, sin látex. Hojas alternas, pecioladas; láminas simples, enteras o palmatilobadas; estípulas ausentes. Flores unisexuales, actinomorfas; cáliz campanulado o infundibuliforme, con 5 diminutos lóbulos; corola campanulada o rotácea. Flores estaminadas en racimos axilares o solitarias; estambres 3, los filamentos libres, las anteras libres o concrescentes; pistilodios ausentes o glandulares. Flores pistiladas solitarias, en largos pedúnculos con brácteas foliáceas; estaminodios ausentes; ovario ínfero, elipsoide, tricarpelar, con numerosos óvulos horizontales, el estilo terminal, simple, los estigmas 3, lineares, bilobados. Fruto una cápsula carnosa, la cual abre a través de 3 valvas; semillas numerosas, comprimidas, ariladas. Género predominantemente africano, con alrededor de 40 especies.
Momordica
Herbaceous vines, monoecious, with axillary tendrils, without latex. Leaves alternate, petiolate; blades simple, entire or palmatilobed; stipules absent. Flowers unisexual, actinomorphic; calyx campanulate or infundibuliform, with 5 minute lobes; corolla campanulate or rotate. Staminate flowers in axillary racemes or solitary; stamens 3, the filaments free, the anthers free or concrescent; pistillodes absent or glandular. Pistillate flowers solitary, on long peduncles with foliaceous bracts; staminodia absent; ovary inferior, ellipsoid, tricarpellate, with numerous horizontal ovules, the style terminal, simple, the stigmas 3, linear, bilobate. Fruit a fleshy capsule, which opens by 3 valves; seeds numerous, compressed, arillate. A predominantly African genus of about 40 species.
Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD) Stats
Specimen Records:212
Specimens with Sequences:218
Specimens with Barcodes:171
Species:56
Species With Barcodes:55
Public Records:156
Public Species:55
Public BINs:0
Momordica is a genus of about 60 species of annual or perennial climbers herbaceous or rarely small shrubs belonging to the family Cucurbitaceae, natives of tropical and subtropical Africa and Asia and Australia. Most species produce floral oils and are visited by specialist pollinators in the apid tribe Ctenoplectrini. A molecular phylogeny that includes all species is available (Schaefer and Renner, 2010).
Cultivation and uses[edit]
Some Momordica species are grown in cultivation for their fleshy fruit, which are oblong to cylindrical in shape, orange to red in colour, prickly or warted externally, and in Momordica charantia burst when ripe, generally with elastic force, into irregular valves.
Mormodica can be cultivated in 5 litre vases or jardinière and is hardly susceptible to plagues. After seeding, Mormodica develops leaves in about 11 days and flowers after 40 to 50 days. After fertilisation, the Mormodica fruit will be developed in about 10 days. [1]
Momordica charantia (bitter melon, Chinese: ku gua 苦瓜) is native to Africa but has been used in Chinese folk medicine for centuries as a 'bitter, cold' herb, and has recently been brought into mainstream Chinese medicine as well as natural medical traditions around the world. Recent research has shown that the immature fruit might have some antibiotic, anticancer, and antiviral properties, particularly well suited for use in treatment of malaria, HIV, and diabetic conditions.[citation needed] The use of Momordica fruit is contraindicated in a number of conditions, especially pregnancy.[citation needed]
“ | The effect of Momordica charantia on glucose and insulin concentrations was studied in nine non-insulin-dependent diabetics and six non-diabetic rats. These results show that it might improve glucose tolerance in diabetes but much more research is needed. Doctors supervising Asian diabetics should be aware of the fruit's hypoglycemic properties.[2] | ” |
Accepted species[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Takeguma, Massahiro. "Culivo do Nigarui". Retrieved 20 May 2013.
- ^ British Medical Journal-Clinical Research 282(6279); 1823-4 6 June 1981. See also J Ethnopharmacol 2003; 88(1): 107-111; Acta Biologica et Medica Germanica 41(12):1229-40 1982; and Jiratchariyakul, W., et al. "HIV inhibitor from Thai bitter gourd." Planta Med. June 2001; 67(4): 350-3.
- ^ GRIN. "Species in GRIN for genus Momordica". Taxonomy for Plants. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland: USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program. Retrieved October 22, 2009.
- ^ "Plant Name Query Results for Momordica". IPNI. Retrieved October 22, 2009.
Schaefer, H., and S. S. Renner. 2010. A three-genome phylogeny of Momordica (Cucurbitaceae) suggests seven returns from dioecy to monoecy and recent long-distance dispersal to Asia. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 54(2): 553-560. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1055790309003248
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Source | http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Momordica&oldid=645087992 |