Squirting Cucumber
This unusual plant, also known as donkey gherkin, is unique in the way it spreads. A simple touch of the mature fruit is all it takes for them to violently detach and expel their seeds several meters away.
This is one of the few cucurbits native to Europe.
Sow in pots at a temperature of between 18 and 20°C, 6 weeks before planting. Transplant with the root ball, after the last frosts, in planting holes enriched with compost, spaced 1 m apart in all directions. Sowing in the open ground is possible under the same conditions when the soil is well warmed and outside temperatures no longer fall below 15°C.
March, April, May, June
May, June
July, August, September, October
in the ground, in the greenhouse
sunny
medium
all floor types
drained, fees, rich
Ecballium elaterium
25 seeds
Green
From 60 to 120 cm
From 5 to 10 cm
semi-hot
Known since antiquity, the first references to this plant date back to Pliny the Elder. He described its energetic purgative properties. The juice of the fruit was used to treat a number of pathologies, but the lethal risk of incorrect dosage led to the plant being classified as dangerous. Researchers are now studying certain molecules and their effects on cancer.
