Ecballium A.Rich.
Monoecious herb with prostrate, hispid stems. Rootstock stout and ± tuberous. Tendrils 0. Lvs lobed. Fls axillary, 5-merous, pale yellow; ♂ in racemes; ♀ solitary. Calyx tube very short. Petals united towards base. Stamens 3, free, with broad connectives. ♀ fls with 5 staminodes. Ovary hispid, minutely tuberculate; placentae 3; ovules numerous; stigmas 3-(4), each forked. Fr. oblong-ellipsoid, scabrid and densely hairy at maturity, becoming detached from peduncle and violently ejecting the seeds from the resulting aperture. Seeds numerous, ovate-ellipsoid, dark brown; margin obscure.
1 sp., Mediterranean region, S. Russia and the Azores. Naturalised sp. 1.
