Momordica charantia commonly called Carilla, bitter melon or bitter gourd originated from the Indian sub-continent. In the 14th century it was introduced to China and later spread across Asia, Africa and the Caribbean.
Carilla is a fruit, however, and not a vegetable as it is always considered. It is used as a vegetable in India, China and other parts of Asia as well as in the Caribbean. Carilla is a tender fast-growing vine with deeply lobed, irregular-shaped green leaves and small yellow flowers, and the fruit has the ovoid shape