Momordica charantia = Bitter Melon, Balsam Pear.
This plant appeared last year on a couple of balconies in Corinth and this particular vine was growing up a newly planted olive tree outside a small shop.
The pale green, knobbly fruit turned bright orange and split open to show the bright red sticky seeds in a matter of five days.
Apparently some versions of this plant are eaten in India and Asia.
I forgot to ask the owner of the shop how she had come by the plant.
Hilary
16th November 2010
I wrote the above when I sent photos of the plant to my Hotmail friends. Now that I have the stamp I thought I would send it to this Forum, However it is not mentioned in a single issue of THE MEDITERRANEAN GARDEN, as far as I can see. Now, breaking my self made rule of not posting a stamp unless I find a reference to the depicted plant in THE MEDITERRANEAN GARDEN here is the stamp and three photos of Momordica charantia
Momordica charantia, a stamp issued by the British Virgin Islands in 1981 in a five stamp series