The Fruit That Launches Its Own Seeds
Most plants depend on wind, water, or animals to carry their seeds. The squirting cucumber follows a more forceful plan: it stores energy inside a ripening fruit and releases its seeds in a fast jet of sticky liquid. Known scientifically as Ecballium elaterium , this small Mediterranean plant is related to familiar gourds. Its oval, bristly fruit is not an edible cucumber. It is a pressurized seed-delivery system.