The vine looks like balsam apple,Momordica balsamina. Very invasive and hard to eradicate.

The vine stinks when you touch it, leaves or stems, right? You may never get rid of it. I clear my yard of it periodically, and it always comes back somewhere different.

Is the flower a Cuban buttercup? I'm told they're also invasive, but the only one we ever got was mowed down and never came back.

ludwigia peruviana (primrose willow) is probably the first one.
Lori

This vine is,"Cundiamor". In my opinion,it doesn't stink.
It is very common in the west Indies. The inside is edible and sweet. It is also used as a medicinal herb. High in vitamin C. Use in the treatment of diabetes and HIV. In zones such as 9,where we have frost,it dies back. It comes up again,from the roots,in Spring. I got some seeds,recently,
for myself and sent some to Silvia. The inside is red.
This is a very important herb in the West Indies.
The link below is in Spanish but it can be translated into English.
Felix

Here is a link that might be useful: Cundiamor

It's called bitter melon in English, isn't it Felix?

Hi,Florah.
I only know it as Cundiamor,so I can not say it is bitter melon.
Here is the translation into English,by Google.
Felix

A versatile fruit called Cundiamor
: Elcaribe.com.do : 26/09/2009
Its bitter and unattractive appearance do not honor him? Cundiamor?, A plant that besides the culinary options are attributed medicinal properties to treat major diseases such as diabetes and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) .

? Primo? and cucumber? brother? of pumpkin, cundiamor at different fruit varieties is unknown to a large population at the local level, although it is cultivated here a long time and successfully exported to different markets.

The? Cundiamor? is cultivated by the Orientals for centuries and the varieties produced in the country originate in China and India.
The? Momordica charantia? belongs to the family of curcubiteos. It is a tropical plant and its fruit? Like cucumber is green, so it is a good source of vitamin C and also provides vitamin A, phosphorus and iron. It is common in Africa, China, the Far East from India, Brazil and the Caribbean

The local producers and exporters? Cundiamor?, Particularly those of La Vega in the northern region of Argentina, have in the Chinese and Indians preferred customers, especially to citizens of these countries living in the U.S., Canada and Europe. In both cultures, this plant is widely appreciated and consume it in teas, soups and salads.

According to Victor Rodriguez, chairman of the Association of East Plant of La Vega, the variety of cundiamor that comes from China, was the first to enter the country at the initiative of a local producer who knew the plant and learned of their properties during a visit to friends in America. The cundiamor has an extremely bitter taste that much like Orientals.

? This is a fruit that comes from centuries ago. It is a supplementary food product with high nutritional value for the fiber and medicinal power he has. Improvement is attributed to problems with diabetes and to impotence? Rodriguez said.

Healing powers
The Momordica charantia healing powers are attributed to cancer, diabetes and infectious diseases. It also says it is? Powerful weapon? against Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).

Varied uses are given depending on the country where it is produced and consumed. In Brazil is used for ulcers, in Puerto Rico, for diabetes; in Honduras as purifying, in Peru, for colic, in Jamaica, constipation, colds, fevers and stomach pains, the Japanese used against pain headache and constipation.

It is believed that the juice significantly improves glucose tolerance and lowers levels of blood sugar.

Also said to have property Antispermatogenic, or it can be an effective treatment for male infertility.

Has been used for centuries in the Philippines as a therapeutic remedy in a variety of diseases and to treat insect bites, menstrual problems and stomach.

Dossier
Product
His scientific identity
The scientific name is cundiamor? Momordica charantia?, But is also known as karela, bitter melon, balsam pear, bush cerasce, bitter gourd, wild cucumber and cucumber Africa. In China medical name is kuguazi.
Rentable
Currency Generator
Export? Cundiamor? is one of the most important as so-called? oriental vegetables?. Last year the Exporters Association of Oriental Vegetables exported 92.900 La Vega cundiamor boxes of Indian Chinese and 130.900, which accounted for $ 1.2 million and $ 2.2 million, respectively.
Harvest
Production areas
La Vega, Azua and Monte Cristi are the places where most production is concentrated in cundiamor in the country and the ideal time for planting is from September to May.

This vine (balsam apple, balsam pear, etc) is horribly invasive in Florida. Sorry, Felix, but I would advise anyone who finds it to rip it up immediately. While it is edible and has herbal properties, parts of it are toxic and you shouldn't eat it unless you know what you are doing. (Felix, I'm assuming you have enough familiarity with it to be safe, my friend, but others might not, so it bears giving a warning.)

I think it smells awful, too, when I pull it up. The only good thing I can say is that it does come up easily. But it propels those red seeds through the air if you let them ripen on the plant, and it establishes itself EVERYWHERE. I purely hate this vine! (Can you tell?)

Marcia (I agree that the first picture looks like primrose willow, which gets to be a very large shrub.)

This thingy seems to be poisonous, if you watch the birds they don't touch it.... I try and get rid of it but it is everywhere.........sally

You may believe what you will,Tomatoes,eggplants,yuca,Cundiamor and other fruits and vegetables are toxic. I have eaten all of it and so has
whole cultures. I ate Cundiamor as a child,no one showed me how to eat it, I just ate it. I just hate to see things that are not true as if they were fact. I do not like misinformation. I have survived 58 years of testing it myself,scientific information in the Spanish language,state
that what I am saying is truth.
But if any one here has died from eating any of the above,tell us about your death experience.
Ignorance should be eradicated but I'm not on a mission.
I just know what I'm talking about.
Sorry,Marcia, but this is the truth.
Hugs to all,
Felix

Felix, what on earth are you talking about..? Tomatoes, eggplants, yuca, Cundiamor ARE TOXIC? WHAT? Where did you get this information?

Sharbear50,LOL
What I am saying is that at one time Tomatoes,eggplants,yuca were considered toxic when in fact they are not. At times we hear and read so called scientific documents that Cundiamor and several other plants are toxic when in fact, I have consumed them my whole life and not only I but whole cultures around the world,in different continents.
If you read the whole thread,you will get more information
on the topic. I hope this is clearer for you.:-)
Felix

Thank you Felix for the clarification...scared me for a minute...lol It seems like I have seen this plant before but didn't know the fruit was eatable. I just thought it was a weed. Are there in-fact parts of it you shouldn't eat..? like seeds, skin or membranes?

sharbear50,
The only part that I have eaten and others is the pulpy inside,which is sweet. The hull or rest of the fruit is bitter,not tasty at all.
The leaves can be boil and drunk for the treatment of diabetes,I plan to do that next season. The roots of the plant may be boil and use for purging. Now,the woody part
of the plant is very TOXIC. People make powder from the woody part and add it to fresh meat to kill rats and cheating partners.
Felix

Now, Felix, I did NOT say you could not eat this plant. I said that it IS edible but PARTS of it are considered toxic, so therefore I recommend using caution. And this is not because it was considered toxic in the past, like tomatoes and potatoes, but rather because PARTS of it contain certain chemicals that are still considered unsafe for INCORRECT usage.

But mostly, I recommended tearing it up because it is seriously invasive and smothers other plants that it climbs over. I stand by that, but I certainly did NOT imply you weren't telling the truth. In fact, I agreed with you that it DOES have herbal properties. Just that using it should be something a person is informed about, inorder to be safe.

Marcia

Hi,Marcia!
I hope you're doing better ,mi amiga,querida.
I know,you knucklehead,don't get your feathers all ruffle up.he he he. Just remember that you can use the woody part to stop your cheating man. I can't believe that no one commented on such relevant information. It has been a wonderful day up here. Boy am I tire from gardening,but loving it.
Hugs,
Felix,the crazy (old)dude

My cheating man? My CHEATING man??? Do you know something that I don't???? Listen, mi amigo...if I find out my man is cheating on me, I won't need no steenkin' balsam apple wood to take care of HIM! *making a mean face and a big fist, here*

I have been under the weather for a day or so, right in the middle of Mark's vacation, but I'm thinking the worst is over today. We were doing some yard work (Mark was laying bricks yesterday, while I was feeling lousy and didn't want to go anywhere or do anything). But we've been hitting the trails and doing a bit of hiking every other day, enjoying the cool weather.

I hope we get another cool spell next week, after he goes back to work, so I can weed the backyard. The bidens is taking over...along with some more BALSAM APPLE, dang that stupid vine!!

Anyone else have scarlet morning glory? I found a volunteer this spring that the hummer was visiting, and I left it. Now I'm wondering if it is going to get totally out of control? (Maybe I should start a new thread about it.)

Marcia