text: Etymology The genus name Momordica is derived from the Latin word mordeo meaning to bite, a reference to the seeds' appearance as though chewed. The species epithet cochinchinensis means "from Cochinchina", the region in the southern part of Vietnam where the plant was first observed by Loureiro.
  Common names
  As this plant is native to many countries throughout the Asia-Pacific region, it has a diverse number of common names including: bhat kerala (Assamese), mu bie gua, mu bie zi and teng tong (Chinese), balsam pear, Chinese cucumber, and giant spiny gourd (English), kakur, kantola and kakrol (Hindi), tepurang (Indonesian), mokube tsushi (Japanese), makkao (Khmer), khaawz (Laotian), pupia, teruah and torobuk (Malay), jhuse karelaa (Nepalese), pakurebu (Sulawesi), buyok buyok (Tagalog), phak khao (Thai), and gac (Vietnamese).
  Cultivation
  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.