Cucurbitaceae FAMILY
Marah macrocarpa
Marah macrocarpa
Edibility
0/5
Medicinal
2/5
Safety & Hazards
None known
Botanical Description
Marah macrocarpa is a herbaceous perennial climbing plant growing from a very large, tuberous rootstock. The stems can be up to 7 metres long, they scramble over the ground, climbing into nearby vegetation for support, attaching themselves by means of tendrils. The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine and source of materials.
Habitat & Origin
Origintemperate
Native RangeSouth-western N. America - California to Baja California Sur.
HabitatPinyon-juniper woodland, Joshua tree-pinyon transition zone, coastal sage, chaparral, oak woodland, rocky hillsides, riparian woods and thickets, stream bottoms, disturbed sites; at elevations up to 1,500 metres, occasionally to 2,100 metres[ 270 Title Flora of N. America Publication Author Website http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/fna/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An on-line version of the flora with an excellent description of the plant including a brief mention of plant uses. ].