苦瓜又名凉瓜、半生瓜，是葫芦科植物。苦瓜是一种蔬菜，原产地一般是热带地区。在南亚、东南亚、中国、和加勒比海群岛均有广泛的种植。

一年生攀缘草本。茎、枝、叶柄及花梗披有柔毛，腋生卷须。叶子的直径达3至12厘米，有5至7道掌状深裂，裂片呈椭圆形，外沿有锯齿。春夏之交开花，雌雄同株，黄色。果实长椭圆形，表面具有多数不整齐瘤状突起。种子藏于肉质果实之中，成熟时有红色的囊裹着。

Momordica charantia, known as bitter melon, bitter gourd, bitter squash, or balsam-pear in English, has many other local names. Goya from Okinawan and karela from Sanskrit are also used by English-language speakers.

It 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. Its many varieties differ substantially in the shape and bitterness of the fruit.