Bitter Goard is a vigorous, tendril-bearing, frost tender, annual vine of the cucumber family and a native of tropical Africa and Asia. The plant itself, is about 4 to 6 inches high, but the vine will grow rapidly to 12 to 20 feet long in a single growing season. The plant boasts round, dark green leaves and goard-like yellow flowers. The flowers give way to 4 to 8 inch warty fruit that ripen to yellow, then orange, before splitting and revealing their seeds. The ripe fruit is attractive, but some people are put off by the odor. The genus name comes from the Latin word for bite, possibly because the seeds of these tropical climbers appear bitten. The species name is of unclear origin and meaning. Bitter Goard is best grown in rich, organic, well-drained soil in full sun to partial shade. Plants are generally grown like cucumbers, doing well in heat and humidity, and benefiting from the support of a trellis. Start seed indoors in peat pots that decompose in the soil about 4 weeks prior to last spring frost date. Plant seedlings outside when tomatoes are typically planted. The plants will die in fall at the time of first frost. The plants do best when trained to grow on a trellis. But some gardeners forgo the edible fruit and allow the plant to sprawl along the ground in an ornamental display of attractive foliage, flowers and fruit. The mature fruit and seeds are toxic and should not be eaten. Diseases, Insect Pests, and Other Plant Problems: No known diseases. The plant is a known host for Bactrocera tau fly.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
High Organic Matter
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Alkaline (>8.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist
NC region
Coastal
Mature size
Height: 12 ft. 0 in. - 20 ft. 0 in. | Width: 3 ft. 0 in. - 6 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Rapid
Maintenance
Medium
Canopy layer
6 - Vine (vertical)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Climbing
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf margin
Dentate; Lobed
Leaf feel
Rough
Leaf value
Edible; Showy
Leaf size
1-3 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
Alternate, foul-smelling, deeply palmately lobed, dark green leaves (1 to 4 inches in diameter) have 3 to 7 deep palmate lobes with sharply toothed margins.
Flower color
Gold/Yellow
Flower value
Showy
Flower form
Solitary
Flower shape
Tubular
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Tubular yellow flowers under an inch with 5 spreading petals bloom from the upper leaf axils in summer and early fall.
Bloom time
Fall; Summer
Fruit color
Gold/Yellow; Green; Orange
Fruit type
Berry
Fruit value
Edible; Showy
Fruit size
> 3 inches long, > 3 inches wide
Fruit detail
The ripe berry in fall and early winter is yellow-orange, warty, with red pulp around seeds. Edible when still green, but poisonous once ripe. It does attract birds. Fruits are 4 to 8 inches long with wrinkled surfaces that split into three curling segments revealing the inner seed surrounded by showy scarlet pulpy arils. Ripe fruits are ornamentally attractive but malodorous.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
Tropical and Subtropical Africa and Asia.
Distribution
Introduced to southeast Asia, Central and South America, Florida and Alabama.
Wildlife value
Birds are attracted to the fruit.
Attracts
Bees; Songbirds
Food & Medicine
Edible parts
Fruit; Leaves; Shoots
Harvest time
Fall; Winter
Fruit type
Berry
Edibility
Young fruits (green or early yellow colored) are a popular vegetable consumed in some countries. Leafy shoot tips are often used as salad greens.
Uses (ethnobotany)
Plants have a long history of use as a vegetable and an herbal medicine.
TOXIC ONLY IF LARGE QUANTITIES EATEN. Ripe fruits, fruit coats, and seeds cause headache, salivation, facial redness, pupil dilation, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and muscular weakness.