Balsampear

Description

Gấc (botanical name: Momordica cochinchinensis) is a type of perennial melon grown throughout Southeast Asian countries and Northeastern Australia. Gấc is notable for its vivid orange-reddish color resulting from its rich content of beta-carotene and lycopene. As gấc originated in Vietnam, it is commonly called by its Vietnamese name (gấc). The fruit may also be called trái gấc or quả gấc as trái or quả means 'fruit' in Vietnamese as well as various other names. The species name cochinchinensis derives from the Cochinchina region in the southern part of Vietnam, although it is grown and consumed in many parts of the world. Sprengel found that the plant belonged to the Linnean genus Momordica and changed its name in 1826. Gấc grows as dioecious vines, meaning its male and female flowers are on separate plants, producing flowers typically 5–10 centimetres (2–4 in) in length. Its vines can extend to 20 metres (70 ft) long, and its flowers blooms once a year, single or in bundle, around two to three months after the vines are planted. In one season, a plant can produce from 30 to 60 fruits. Typically, gấc fruits are round or oblong, about 13 centimetres (5 in) in length and 10 centimetres (4 in) in diameter, covered with small spines on the exocarp. Upon ripening, gấc gradually changes colors, from green to yellow, orange and finally red when it can be harvested. At this time, the fruit is hard, but turns soft quickly, creating a challenge for storage and transportation. Gấc fruit has a mild taste and dense flesh (mesocarp). The inside of a gấc fruit comprises two parts: fruit (yellow) and seed membrane (red color). Larger fruits have a higher percentage of edible aril than smaller fruits. As gac plant is dioecious, both male and female plants are needed; hence, farmers must have at least one corresponding male plant growing in or around the gardens for the fruit-bearing female plants to be pollinated. When grown from seed, the ratio of male to female plants is unpredictable. Pollination may be facilitated by insects, but hand pollination allows for better fruit yield. An alternative method is to graft female material onto the main shoot of a male plant.