manroots

genus Marah

Member of gourd family (family Cucurbitaceae)
dicots (class Magnoliopsida)
flowering plants (subphylum Angiospermae)

There are no other wild species of this genus in the bay area.

Key features:

corolla shallowly cupped or double bulged when viewed from the side/back
fruit beaked or not

The corolla “cup” may differ for male vs. female flowers:

male flowers are in open clusters
no more than one female floewr per node

may be at the same node as male flowres?
female flower has a “swollen base” [source]

california manroot
Marah fabacea

california manroot
Marah fabacea

corolla has only a shallow cup attaching it to the pedicel

yellow-green to cream or (especially inland) white

fruit 4–5 cm, ± spheric; prickles sparse to ± dense, < 12 mm, ± stiff, unhooked

seeds ovate to oblong

coastal manroot
Marah oregana

coastal manroot
Marah oregana

corolla has a “double cup”, with an extra bulging cup beyond the shallow cup attaching it to the pedicel

white

fruit 4–8 cm, ± spheric, tapered to beak, generally striped dark green; prickles generally dense, stiff or flexible, generally 0 at tip, unhooked

seeds disk-shaped

Toxicity of gourd (Cucurbitaceae spp.):
0 – Non-toxic.

2 observed taxons / 1 key

Chris’s observations: 78 (64 are research grade)

Locations:

Months:

Jan.: 2
Feb.: 12
Mar.: 24
Apr.: 18
May: 12
Jun.: 5
Jul.: 2
Aug.: 3

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Taxon info: iNaturalist – Calflora – Jepson eFlora – FNA

Bay Area species: iNaturalist – Calflora