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Marah macrocarpa  (Greene) Greene
Chilicothe
© 2020 David Greenberger
© 2021 Emily Sluiman
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© 2019 Les Vion
© 2020 Susan McDougall
© 2021 Orchid Black
© 2022 David Strauch
© 2022 David Strauch
© 2023 Ron Vanderhoff
© 2023 Alaine Arslan
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© 2023 Ron Vanderhoff
© 2024 Ron Vanderhoff
© 2020 Susan McDougall
© 2022 David Strauch
© 2022 David Strauch
© 2021 Bonnie Nickel
© 2021 Bonnie Nickel
© 2018 Matt Berger
© 2023 Catherine Chang
© 2023 Julia Markey
© 2021 David Berman
© 2021 Ron Vanderhoff
© 2021 Colin Barrows
Marah macrocarpa is a perennial herb or vine that is native to California.
Siskiyou Del Norte Modoc Humboldt Shasta Lassen Trinity Plumas Tehama Butte Mendocino Glenn Sierra Yuba Lake Nevada Colusa Placer Sutter El Dorado Yolo Alpine Napa Sonoma Sacramento Mono Amador Solano Calaveras Tuolumne San Joaquin Marin Contra Costa Alameda Santa Cruz Mariposa Madera San Francisco San Mateo Merced Fresno Stanislaus Santa Clara Inyo San Benito Tulare Kings Monterey San Bernardino San Luis Obispo Kern Santa Barbara Ventura Los Angeles Riverside Orange San Diego Imperial
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Bloom Period
Genus: Marah
Family: Cucurbitaceae  
Category: angiosperm  
PLANTS group:Dicot
Jepson eFlora section: eudicot

Name Status:
Accepted by JEF + POWO

Alternate Names:
JEFMarah guadalupensis
JEFMarah macrocarpa var. macrocarpa
JEFMarah macrocarpa var. major
JEFMarah macrocarpa var. micrantha
JEFMarah macrocarpus var. macrocarpus
More …
Information about  Marah macrocarpa from other sources
Nursery availability from CNPLX
This plant is available commercially.
Jepson eFlora

Photos on Calflora

Photos on CalPhotos

Google Images

Photos on iNaturalist

ID Tips on PlantID.net

[Wikipedia] Uses: 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 large tuber of the manroot can be processed for a soap-like extract. (link added by Mary Ann Machi)


Suggested Citation
Calflora: Information on California plants for education, research and conservation, with data contributed by public and private institutions and individuals. [web application]. 2025. The Calflora Database [a non-profit organization]. Available: https://www.calflora.org/   (Accessed: 03/29/2025).