Citrullus colocynthis
species of plant in the family Cucurbitaceae
AI overview
Citrullus colocynthis is a plant in the melon and squash family (Cucurbitaceae) that grows in arid regions. It has been used traditionally in medicine and agriculture, though modern uses and significance vary by region.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Species
SPECIES
- KingdomPlantae
- PhylumTracheophyta
- ClassMagnoliopsida
- OrderCucurbitales
- FamilyCucurbitaceae
Native toAfghanistan, Algeria, Assam, Bangladesh, Benin, Burkina, Canary Is., Cape Verde, Chad, Cyprus, Djibouti, Egypt
Common Name: colocynth
via GBIF · Kew POWO
Article
Citrullus Colocynthis Fruit in Behbahan Wild Citrullus Colocynthis Citrullus colocynthis, with many common names including colocynth, bitter apple, bitter cucumber, vine of Sodom, or wild gourd, is a poisonous desert viny plant native to the Mediterranean Basin and West Asia, especially the Levant, Turkey (especially in regions such as İzmir), and Nubia.
It resembles a common watermelon vine but bears small, hard fruits with a bitter pulp. The plant contains cytotoxic cucurbitacins and is thus unsafe to use as an herbal medicine. It originally bore the scientific name Colocynthis citrullus.