drooping branches that hug the ground. At maturity, a single plant can cover up to 10 feet of ground while only growing about 18 inches in height. Some cultivars max out at just 6 inches tall.

Scientists say they’ve worked out how the plant can fire its seeds up to almost 40 feet. By Carolyn Wilke The hairy, ground-hugging vines of the squirting cucumber Ecballium elaterium might seem ...