Coastal Man-Root
Marah oregana
Gourd Family (Cucurbitaceae)
Native
Key Identifying Characteristics
A mounding, sprawling vine with white flowers, stout, hairy stems and curlicue tendrils for gripping. Large, dark green leaves have a rough texture and deep notches. Fruit is pointed at one end. Many tendrils off the stem make it a great climber, often over other vegetation.
Similar To
For a comparison of California and Coastal Man-Roots, see
PlantID Man-Root comparison
Height / Size
Grows rapidly after a rain and can quickly climb or scramble to a length of 20 feet.
Leaves
Very large, dark green leaves have a rough texture, are deeply notched and up to 8″ across. (California Man-Root leaves have fewer, straight sided notches).
Flower
Man-Roots are monoecious. They have male (staminate) and female (pistilate) flowers on the same plant. Flowers are white with 5 petals that are pointed at the tips, have yellow centers, and are cupped at the base. Male flowers (staminate) cluster at the tops of unbranched stalks. Female flowers (pistilate) usually occur individually at the base of the male stalk. (Very similar in appearance to California Man-Root flowers but larger in size and the flower base has a deeper cup.)
Bloom time: March to June.
Fruit / Seed
Fruit begins to form in spring and ripens in summer. Fruit is a roundish (non-edible) cucumber, up to 3 inches long that tapers to a football shaped beak on one end, generally with dark green stripes, and sparsely covered with stiff or flexible spines except near the point. (California Man-Root fruit is a sphere with more prickly spines.)
Habitat
Found in shrubby or open areas and forest edges.
Location / Range
All trails in the park. Occurs along the coast from Santa Cruz to British Columbia, but mostly in Northern California.
Lifespan
Long lived perennial.
Fascinating / Fun Facts
This wild cucumber plant has a root the size of a man. The large underground tubers can weigh over 150 pounds. After falling into the ocean, they have been mistaken for a person and “rescued”.
Sources:
Calflora
iNaturalist.org
Jepson eFlora
PlantID.net for San Pedro Valley CP (NRDB.org)
Allhouse, Doug and Nelson, David. San Bruno Mountain. Heydey, Berkeley, California. 2022, pg 204-206