What is "citrullus colocynthis"

Cucumber \Cu"cum*ber\ (k?`k?m-b?r, formerly kou"k?m-b?r), n. [OE. cucumer, cocumber, cucumber, fr. L. cucmis, gen.cucumeris; cf. OF. cocombre,F. concombre.] (Bot.) A creeping plant, and its fruit, of several species of the genus Cucumis, esp. Cucumis sativus, the unripe fruit of which is eaten either fresh or picked. Also, similar plants or fruits of several other genera. See below. Bitter cucumber (Bot.), the Citrullus Colocynthis syn. Cucumis Colocynthis. See Colocynth. Cucumber beetle. (Zo["o]l.)

1. A small, black flea-beetle ( Crepidodera cucumeris), which destroys the leaves of cucumber, squash, and melon vines.

2. The squash beetle. Cucumber tree.

   1. A large ornamental or shade tree of the genus Magnolia (Magnolia acuminata), so called from a slight resemblance of its young fruit to a small cucumber.

   2. An East Indian plant ( Averrhoa Bilimbi) which produces the fruit known as bilimbi.

      Jamaica cucumber, Jerusalem cucumber, the prickly-fruited gherkin ( Cucumis Anguria).

      Snake cucumber, a species ( Cucumis flexuosus) remarkable for its long, curiously-shaped fruit.

      Squirting cucumber, a plant ( Ecbalium Elaterium) whose small oval fruit separates from the footstalk when ripe and expels its seeds and juice with considerable force through the opening thus made. See Elaterium.

      Star cucumber, a climbing weed ( Sicyos angulatus) with prickly fruit.

Colocynth \Col"ocynth\, n. [L. colocynthis, Gr. ?. Cf. Coloquintida.] (Med.) The light spongy pulp of the fruit of the bitter cucumber ( Citrullus colocynthis, or Cucumis colocynthis), an Asiatic plant allied to the watermelon; coloquintida. It comes in white balls, is intensely bitter, and a powerful cathartic. Called also bitter apple, bitter cucumber, bitter gourd.

Citrullus colocynthis, with many common names including colocynth, bitter apple, bitter cucumber, desert gourd, egusi, vine of Sodom, or wild gourd, is a desert viny plant native to the Mediterranean Basin and Asia, especially Turkey (especially in regions such as İzmir), Nubia, and Trieste.

It resembles a common watermelon vine, but bears small, hard fruits with a bitter pulp. It originally bore the scientific name Colocynthis citrullus.