| a Mediterranean plant, Ecballium elaterium, of the gourd family, whose ripened fruit forcibly ejects the seeds and juice. |
| squirt·ing cucumber (skwûr'tĭng) n. A hairy Mediterranean vine (Ecballium elaterium) having fruit that when ripe discharges its seeds and juice explosively. |
squirting cucumber
(Ecballium elaterium), trailing herbaceous plant, of the gourd family (Cucurbitaceae), native to the Mediterranean region but introduced into other areas as a garden curiosity for its distinctive fruits. The hairy, rough, thick- stemmed plant may spread out to about 60 cm (about 24 inches). It has yellow, bell-shaped flowers. The long-stalked, bluish green fruits, about 4 to 5 cm long, explosively eject their brown seeds as they detach from the stem upon reaching maturity. The seeds may travel 3 to 6 m (about 10 to 20 feet) from the plant.
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