# California manroot (*Marah fabacea*)

California manroot is a unique plant with big, heart-shaped leaves and long, twisting vines. It grows in sunny places and can climb over other plants, making it look like a green blanket in nature.

- **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 2/5 · Low
- **Snaps:** 1
- **Habitat:** Coastal areas

![California manroot](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Marah_fabaceus.jpg&width=800)

Photo: Calibas, CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Marah_fabaceus.jpg)

## Appearance

The California manroot is a fast-growing vine with large, deeply lobed green leaves. It produces clusters of small, white to creamy-yellow flowers. Its most striking feature is the round to oval fruit, covered in soft, yellowish-green spines.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Plantae
- **Phylum:** Tracheophyta
- **Class:** Magnoliopsida
- **Order:** Cucurbitales
- **Family:** Cucurbitaceae
- **Genus:** Marah

## Interesting facts

- Its enormous root can grow over 200 pounds, hiding underground!
- Its speedy vines can grow up to a foot in a single day!
- Native Americans once used parts of this plant for traditional medicine!
- This plant can sprout new vines incredibly fast after winter rains!

## Special abilities

- **Water Storage Giant:** California manroot has a massive underground tuber that stores water, helping it survive long, dry summers.
- **Climbing Champion:** California manroot uses coiling tendrils to quickly climb over other plants and structures to reach sunlight.
- **Explosive Seeds:** California manroot's spiky fruit can burst open suddenly, scattering its seeds far from the parent plant.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 100-600 cm
- **Spread:** 100-600 cm
- **Flower Size:** 1-2 cm
- **Bloom Season:** Late winter to spring
- **Edible:** No
- **Toxicity:** Moderate
- **Lifecycle:** Perennial
- **Pollination Method:** Insect

## Ecological connections

- **Pollinates:** European honey bee (*Apis mellifera*) — Visits flowers for nectar and pollen
- **Pollinates:** Yellow-faced bumblebee (*Bombus vosnesenskii*) — Important native pollinator of its blooms
- **Eaten by:** [Mule deer](https://www.snappit.app/explore/mule-deer) (*Odocoileus hemionus*) — Deer browse on its leaves and shoots

## Traits

- [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle.
- [Evergreen](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/evergreen): Evergreen plants retain their foliage throughout the year, never shedding all their leaves at once.
- [Fruit Bearing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/fruit-bearing): Fruit-bearing plants produce fruits, which are the mature ovaries of flowering plants containing seeds.
- [Drought Tolerant](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/drought-tolerant): Drought-tolerant plants can survive and flourish in conditions with limited water availability.
- [Edible](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/edible): Edible plants are those parts of a plant that are considered safe for human consumption.
- [Pollinator Magnet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator-magnet): Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms.
- [Coastal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/coastal): Coastal habitats are dynamic environments located along the interface between land and sea, influenced by tides, waves, and saltwater.

## Collections

- [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants)

## Safety

**Danger:** 2/5 · Low

Don't eat any part of this plant, as it can make you feel sick.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify California manroot?

Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How tall is California manroot?

100-600 cm

### How wide does California manroot spread?

100-600 cm

### How big are the flowers on California manroot?

1-2 cm

### When does California manroot bloom?

Late winter to spring

### Is California manroot edible?

No

### Is California manroot toxic?

Moderate

### What is California manroot's lifecycle?

Perennial

## Where to spot

- [Old Borges Ranch](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/old-borges-ranch) — California, US · Historic Site

## More Plants

- [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*)
- [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*)
- [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*)
- [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*)

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Source: [California manroot: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/california-manroot)