California Manroot
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The California Manroot or Bigroot, Marah fabaceus, is the common manroot of most of California, and the only member of genus Marah likely to be encountered in the north and west of the state.
Like other manroots, it has stout, hairy stems with tendrils; by climbing on other plants, it can reach a height of 6m. Its leaves typically have five lobes. The flower is round, and can vary in colour from yellowish green to cream to white; they appear from July to September. The flowers are monoecious, that is, individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant. The plant is self-fertile, i.e. pollen from the male flowers can fertilise the female flowers on the same plant; pollination is by insects.
The fruit is spherical, 4-5 cm in diameter, and covered in prickles of variable density, up to 1cm long but without hooks. The fruit can be seen in the spring. All parts of the plant have a bitter taste (this is the meaning of the genus name Marah, which comes from Hebrew). Despite this, the leaves have been used as a vegetable.
The California Manroot can be found by streams or in washes, but also in shrubby or open areas, at elevations up to 1600 metres. It ranges through most of California except the far northwest and the Mojave Desert. It will tolerate a variety of soil types and acidities, but it requires moist soil and a sunny position.
Two varieties are recognised, Marah fabaceus var. agrestis (found in the San Francisco Bay Area and Contra Costa County), and Marah fabaceus var. fabaceus (found elsewhere in California).
External links
- Jepson Manual treatment of the species (http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?3375,3389,3390)
- Entry in the Plants for a Future database (http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Marah+fabaceus&CAN=LATIND)