balsam pear

balsam pear

n.

1. A tropical, Old World, tendril-bearing annual vine (Momordica charantia) having yellow flowers and orange, warty fruits that open at maturity to expose red-coated seeds.

2. The immature fruit of this plant, used as a vegetable in Asian cuisine. The ripe fruit is not eaten. Also called bitter gourd, bitter melon.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

balsam pear - tropical Old World vine with yellow-orange fruit Momordica charantia gourd vine, gourd - any vine of the family Cucurbitaceae that bears fruits with hard rinds genus Momordica, Momordica - Old World tropical vine