Ecballium
Pronunciation : Ec*bal"li*um
Part of Speech : n.
Etymology : [NL., fr. Gr. Ecbole.] (Bot.)
Definition : Defn: 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.
Source : Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913