Momordica dioica, commonly known as spiny gourd or spine gourd and also known as bristly balsam pear, is a species of flowering plant in the Cucurbitaceae/ gourd family. It is used as a vegetable in all regions of India and some parts of South Asia. It has commercial importance and is exported and used locally.
A climber with tuberous roots, almost 5-7 m long vine, thrives well in a warm, humid climate. It is commonly grown as a summer vegetable of which its fruit, young twigs and leaves are consumed as vegetables by tribal groups living around the natural forest at higher altitudes.
Distribution
Spine gourd also called kantola is a seasonal monsoon vegetable, commercially cultivated in sub-tropical and tropical regions of Karnataka, WestBengal, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Orissa, Maharashtra and parts of Meghalaya in India.
Spine gourd can be propagated through both seeds and tubers. Commercially....
