Gourd. 1. 1 John 1:4-10. The plant intended is the Ricinus communis, or castor-oil plant, which, a native of Asia, is now naturalized in America, Africa, and the south of Europe. 2. The wild gourd of 2 Kings 4:39, gathered by one of "the sons of the prophets," is a poisonous gourd, supposed to be the colocynth, which bears a fruit of the color and size of an orange. Orientals can easily understand the cause of the mistake.