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Momordica charantia L.
Wild balsam-apple, Balsampear

Momordica charantia
Copyright by: Roger L. Hammer

Family: Cucurbitaceae

Group: Dicot

Substrate: Terrestrial

Habit: Vine

Perennation: Annual

Native Range: Old World tropics; a naturalized weed elsewhere.

Map of select IRC data for peninsular Florida

FLEPPC Status: Category II Invasive

SOUTH FLORIDA Occurrence: Present

SOUTH FLORIDA Native Status: Not Native, Naturalized

SOUTH FLORIDA Cultivated Status: Not Cultivated

Other data on Momordica charantia available from :

Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants
Momordica charantia has been found in the following 159 conservation areas :
Occurrence Native Status
Alice C. Wainwright Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Allapattah Flats Wildlife Management Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Arch Creek Addition Present Not Native, Naturalized
Arch Creek Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge Present Not Native, Naturalized
Big and Little George Hammocks Present Not Native, Naturalized
Big Cypress National Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Bill Sadowski Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Biscayne National Park Possibly Extirpated Not Native, Naturalized
Black Creek Forest Present Not Native, Naturalized
Blazing Star Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Blowing Rocks Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Bonair Beach Parcel, Martin County Present Not Native, Naturalized
Boystown Pineland Present Not Native, Naturalized
Caloosahatchee Creeks Preserve Assumed to be Present Not Native, Naturalized
Camp Owaissa Bauer Present Not Native, Naturalized
Camp Owaissa Bauer Addition Present Not Native, Naturalized
Carlin Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Castellow Hammock parcel 28 Present Not Native, Naturalized
Castellow Hammock parcel 31 Present Not Native, Naturalized
Castellow Hammock parcel 33 Present Not Native, Naturalized
Castellow Hammock Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Cayo Costa State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Cedar Point Environmental Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Chapman Field Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Chernoff Hammock Present Not Native, Naturalized
Coconut Creek Maple Swamp Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Coral Reef Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed (CREW) Present Not Native, Naturalized
Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary Present Not Native, Naturalized
County Line Scrub, Miami-Dade County Present Not Native, Naturalized
Crandon Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Crystal Lake Sand Pine Scrub Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammocks Botanical State Park Possibly Extirpated Not Native, Naturalized
Danforth Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Deering Estate at Cutler Present Not Native, Naturalized
Delray Beach Municipal Beach Present Not Native, Naturalized
Delray Beach, Lake Ida parcel Present Not Native, Naturalized
Delray Oaks Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Dolphin Center and Dolphin Center Addition Present Not Native, Naturalized
Don Pedro Island State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Doris Davis Forman Wilderness Preserve Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Dupuis Reserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Eachus Pineland Present Not Native, Naturalized
Enchanted Forest Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Everglades and Francis S. Taylor Wildlife Management Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Everglades National Park Possibly Extirpated Not Native, Naturalized
Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Fern Forest Nature Center Present Not Native, Naturalized
Florida City Pineland Present Not Native, Naturalized
Frenchman's Forest Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Frog Pond/L-31 N Transition Lands Present Not Native, Naturalized
Fuchs Hammock Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Gasparilla Island State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
George N. Avery Pineland Present Not Native, Naturalized
Gold Coast Railroad Museum Present Not Native, Naturalized
Gopher Tortoise Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Goulds Pineland Present Not Native, Naturalized
Greynolds Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Halpatiokee Regional Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Harden Hammock Present Not Native, Naturalized
Hattie Bauer Hammock Present Not Native, Naturalized
Hawk's Hammock Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
High Ridge Scrub Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Highlands Scrub Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Hillsboro Pineland Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge Present Not Native, Naturalized
Homestead Bayfront Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Hugh Taylor Birch State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Ingram Pineland Present Not Native, Naturalized
J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge Present Not Native, Naturalized
J.W. Corbett Wildlife Management Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
John D. MacArthur Beach State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park Reported
Jonathan Dickinson State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Juno Dunes Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse Outstanding Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Jupiter Ridge Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Kendall Indian Hammocks Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Koreshan State Historic Site Present Not Native, Naturalized
Lake Okeechobee Marshes Present Not Native, Naturalized
Lake Okeechobee Ridge Present Not Native, Naturalized
Larry and Penny Thompson Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Loggerhead Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Long Key Natural Area & Nature Center Present Not Native, Naturalized
Loveland Hammock Present Not Native, Naturalized
Lucille Hammock Present Not Native, Naturalized
Luis Martinez United States Army Reserve Station, Richmond Pine Rocklands Present Not Native, Naturalized
Matanzas Pass Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Matheson Hammock Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Medlock Pineland Present Not Native, Naturalized
Meissner Hammock Present Not Native, Naturalized
Military Trail Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Miramar Pineland Present Not Native, Naturalized
Moreno Pine Rockland Present Not Native, Naturalized
Mound Key Archaeological State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Muscara Present Not Native, Naturalized
National Key Deer Refuge Possibly Extirpated Not Native, Naturalized
Navy Wells Pineland 23 Present Not Native, Naturalized
Navy Wells Pineland Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Nicodemus Slough Present Not Native, Naturalized
Nixon Smiley Pineland Addition Present Not Native, Naturalized
Nixon Smiley Pineland Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Northrop Pineland Present Not Native, Naturalized
Okaloacoochee Slough State Forest, Okaloacoochee Slough Wildlife Management Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Okaloacoochee Slough Wildlife Management Area - FWC, Okaloacoochee Slough Wildlife Management Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Oleta River State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Palm Drive Pineland Present Not Native, Naturalized
Peck Lake Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Picayune Strand State Forest Present Not Native, Naturalized
Pine Island Ridge Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Pine Jog Environmental Sciences Center Present Not Native, Naturalized
Pine Ridge Sanctuary Present Not Native, Naturalized
Pine Shore Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Porter-Russell Pineland Present Not Native, Naturalized
Prairie Pines Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Quail Roost Pineland Present Not Native, Naturalized
R. Hardy Matheson Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Railhead Scrub Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Red Reef Park, including Gumbo Limbo Nature Center Present Not Native, Naturalized
Rock Pit 39 Present Not Native, Naturalized
Rockdale Pineland Present Not Native, Naturalized
Rocky Point Hammock Present Not Native, Naturalized
Rolling Oaks Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Ron Ehmann Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Rosemary Ridge Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Rosemary Scrub Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Royal Palm Beach Pines Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
San Carlos Bay - Bunche Beach Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Savannas Preserve State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Scrub Oak Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Seabranch Preserve State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Seacrest Scrub Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Secret Woods Nature Center Present Not Native, Naturalized
Silver Palm Groves Present Not Native, Naturalized
Silver Palm Hammock Present Not Native, Naturalized
Simpson Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
SOCSOUTH Present Not Native, Naturalized
South Beach Park Possibly Extirpated Not Native, Naturalized
St. Lucie Inlet Preserve State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Stump Pass Beach State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Sunny Palms Pineland Present Not Native, Naturalized
Tall Cypress Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Tamiami Pineland Complex Addition Present Not Native, Naturalized
Tilton Present Not Native, Naturalized
Tree Island Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Tree Tops Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Trinity Pineland Present Not Native, Naturalized
Tropical Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Twin Rivers Present Not Native, Naturalized
Virginia Key Beach Park and Marine Stadium Present Not Native, Naturalized
Warbler Wetland Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
West Biscayne Pineland Present Not Native, Naturalized
Woodmont Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Yamato Scrub Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Zoo Miami Present Not Native, Naturalized

Momordica charantia has been found in the following 9 counties :
Occurrence Native Status
Broward County Not Native, Naturalized
Charlotte County Not Native, Naturalized
Collier County Not Native, Naturalized
Hendry County Not Native, Naturalized
Lee County Not Native, Naturalized
Martin County Not Native, Naturalized
Miami-Dade County Not Native, Naturalized
Monroe County (Keys) Not Native, Naturalized
Palm Beach County Not Native, Naturalized

Momordica charantia has been found in the following 7 habitats :
Beach Dune
Coastal Strand
Disturbed Upland
Maritime Hammock
Pine Rockland
Prairie Hammock
Rockland Hammock

All Images:

Momordica charantia
Copyright by: Roger L. Hammer
Momordica charantia
Copyright by: Keith A. Bradley
Momordica charantia
Copyright by: Chuck McCartney
Momordica charantia
Copyright by: Kristen Finch
Naturalized, Palm Beach County, Florida, 2013
Momordica charantia
Copyright by: Kristen Finch
Naturalized, Palm Beach County, Florida, 2013
Momordica charantia
Copyright by: Magha García Medina; Agrandar.
Momordica charantia
Copyright by: Keith A. Bradley
Momordica charantia
Copyright by: Kristen Finch
Naturalized, Palm Beach County, Florida, 2013