Ecballium

Ec`bal´li`um

n.

1.

(Bot.) A genus of cucurbitaceous plants consisting of the single species Ecballium agreste (or Elaterium), the squirting cucumber. Its fruit, when ripe, bursts and violently ejects its seeds, together with a mucilaginous juice, from which elaterium, a powerful cathartic medicine, is prepared.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

Ecballium - exploding cucumber; squirting cucumber genus Ecballium dicot genus, magnoliopsid genus - genus of flowering plants having two cotyledons (embryonic leaves) in the seed which usually appear at germination Cucurbitaceae, family Cucurbitaceae, gourd family - a family of herbaceous vines (such as cucumber or melon or squash or pumpkin) Ecballium elaterium, exploding cucumber, squirting cucumber, touch-me-not - Mediterranean vine having oblong fruit that when ripe expels its seeds and juice violently when touched