Squirting cucumber is an herbaceous plant with a prostrate and highly branched stem. The entire plant is covered with spiny hairs. Mature fruits develop a high osmotic pressure that causes the thin walls of the fruit to rupture and expel the seeds. This mechanism can be disrupted by water shortages. It grows as a ruderal plant, typically along roadsides, fences, abandoned fields, and old buildings. It is native to the Mediterranean region and Southeastern Europe