According to the Flora of China, Volume 73 (1) (1986), there are about 80 species of Momordica, most of which are distributed in tropical Africa and a few in temperate regions. There are four species in China, namely Momordica cochinchinensis and Momordica cochinchinensis. Marigold. Former willd. And cochineal orange. )Spreng。 , mainly distributed in the south and southwest. The main bitter gourd varieties cultivated in China are all China bitter gourd in botanical classification.
During the period of 1979- 1980, Qi et al. discovered two unique momordica charantia germplasm resources in 3 1 cities and counties in Yunnan Province, one was momordica charantia, and the other was wild momordica charantia, which was named wild momordica charantia. Its fruit is crisp and tender in texture, sweet in taste, with bitter taste peculiar to bitter gourd, which can be fried or cooled (Vegetable Variety Records of China, 200 1).