Cucurbitaceae

Marah oreganus

Coast Manroot

Vine scrambling over shrubs or small trees. Stems with dense flexible prickles, tendrils branched, attached at leaf axil. Leaf 6–8 in. across, heart-shaped at base, divided palmately into 5–7 pointed lobes, maple-like. Flowers white, deeply cup-shaped with 5 lobes, at stalk top. Fruit widely oval, tapering to point at tip, streaked dark green, covered with small prickles. Grows in forest edges, moist fields, from near coast to 6000 ft. Fruits look like cucumbers but are very bitter, not good to eat.

• Rarity: Locally Common
• Flowering Time: All Spring
• Life Cycle: Perennial
• Height: 3--20 feet
• Habitat: Coastal, Meadow, West-Side Forest
• Found In: Olympic Np, Siskiyous, N Cascades Np, West Gorge
• Native: Yes