Bitter Melon, known as, Bitter Gourd, Bitter Squash, or Balsam-Pear in English, Goya, Karela, is a tropical and subtropical vine of the family Cucurbitaceae, widely grown in Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean for its edible fruit, which is extremely bitter. This herbaceous, tendril-bearing vine grows up to 5 m (16 ft) in length. It bears simple, alternate leaves 4–12 cm (1.6–4.7 in) across, with three to seven deeply separated lobes. Bitter melon originated in India and was introduced into China in the 14th century.