Ecballium elaterium
Encyclopedia
Ecballium elaterium, also called the squirting cucumber or exploding cucumber, is a plant in the cucumber
family. It gets its unusual name from the fact that, when ripe, it squirts a stream of mucilaginous
liquid containing its seeds, which can be seen with the naked eye. It is thus considered to have rapid plant movement
.
It is native to Europe, northern Africa, and temperate areas of Asia. It is grown as an ornamental plant elsewhere, and in some places it has naturalized
.
It is suspected to provide food for the caterpillar
s of the tortrix moth Phtheochroa rugosana
.
This plant, and especially its fruit, is poisonous. In the ancient world it saw use as an abortifacient
.
In Turkey, the fresh fruit juice of this plant is directly applied into the nostrils for the treatment of sinusitis as a herbal / folk remedy. Clinical tests on voluntary patients revealed that the healing rate of double-high dosage application is higher than that of the single-low dosage (71.0 and 56.6%, respectively). In addition, total relief from the main symptoms is observed in 20% of the patients, although the sinuses are not completely drained off on x-ray examination.
Cucumber
The cucumber is a widely cultivated plant in the gourd family Cucurbitaceae, which includes squash, and in the same genus as the muskmelon. The plant is a creeping vine which bears cylindrical edible fruit when ripe. There are three main varieties of cucumber: "slicing", "pickling", and...
family. It gets its unusual name from the fact that, when ripe, it squirts a stream of mucilaginous
Mucilage
Mucilage is a thick, gluey substance produced by most plants and some microorganisms. It is a polar glycoprotein and an exopolysaccharide.It occurs in various parts of nearly all classes of plant, usually in relatively small percentages, and is frequently associated with other substances, such as...
liquid containing its seeds, which can be seen with the naked eye. It is thus considered to have rapid plant movement
Rapid plant movement
Rapid plant movement encompasses movement in plant structures occurring over a very short period of time, usually under one second. For example, the Venus Flytrap closes its trap in about 100 milliseconds. The Dogwood Bunchberry's flower opens its petals and fires pollen in less than 0.5 milliseconds...
.
It is native to Europe, northern Africa, and temperate areas of Asia. It is grown as an ornamental plant elsewhere, and in some places it has naturalized
Naturalisation (biology)
In biology, naturalisation is any process by which a non-native organism spreads into the wild and its reproduction is sufficient to maintain its population. Such populations are said to be naturalised....
.
It is suspected to provide food for the caterpillar
Caterpillar
Caterpillars are the larval form of members of the order Lepidoptera . They are mostly herbivorous in food habit, although some species are insectivorous. Caterpillars are voracious feeders and many of them are considered to be pests in agriculture...
s of the tortrix moth Phtheochroa rugosana
Phtheochroa rugosana
Phtheochroa rugosana is a small moth of the family Tortricidae.It is found in western Europe east to the Benelux, Switzerland and Italy, and further across the Balkans and Hungary to Asia Minor and Armenia. It also occurs in the Maghreb and on the Canary Islands. The wingspan is 18–23 mm...
.
This plant, and especially its fruit, is poisonous. In the ancient world it saw use as an abortifacient
Abortifacient
An abortifacient is a substance that induces abortion. Abortifacients for animals that have mated undesirably are known as mismating shots....
.
In Turkey, the fresh fruit juice of this plant is directly applied into the nostrils for the treatment of sinusitis as a herbal / folk remedy. Clinical tests on voluntary patients revealed that the healing rate of double-high dosage application is higher than that of the single-low dosage (71.0 and 56.6%, respectively). In addition, total relief from the main symptoms is observed in 20% of the patients, although the sinuses are not completely drained off on x-ray examination.