Citrullus colocynthis
| Citrullus colocynthis | |
|---|---|
| Citrullus colocynthis from Koehler's Medicinal-Plants (1887). | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae | 
| Clade: | Tracheophytes | 
| Clade: | Angiosperms | 
| Clade: | Eudicots | 
| Clade: | Rosids | 
| Order: | Cucurbitales | 
| Family: | Cucurbitaceae | 
| Genus: | Citrullus | 
| Species: | C. colocynthis | 
| Binomial name | |
| Citrullus colocynthis | |
| Synonyms | |
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Citrullus colocynthis, with many common names including Abu Jahl's melon, (native name in Turkey) colocynth, bitter apple, bitter cucumber, egusi, 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.