Marah macrocarpus (Greene) Greene
Cucamonga manroot, common manroot, bigroot
Cucamonga manroot is native to southern California and Baja California in Mexico.
Plants: Cucamonga manroot is a vine that resembles garden cucumbers because it is a member of the same family. Vines reach lengths of 20′ (6 m), attaching themselves to other surfaces with tendrils. Hard roots, like those of ginger, reach remarkably large sizes and can weigh more than a good-sized person.
Leaves: Leaves have 5-7 lobes, and show much variation; they are about 4″ (10 cm) around.
Flowers: Yellowish-green to white, with greenish centers and five petals, up to 1″ (2.5 cm) in diameter.
Fruits: Fruits look rather imposing, oval- or cucumber-shaped and studded with spikes. They are 1¾–2″ (5–6 cm) around and up to 6–8″ (15–20 cm) long.
Photographed in Voorhis Ecological Reserve near Pomona, CA, USA by Curtis Clark. 
Habitats: Woodlands, chaparral, coastal sage scrub.
Edibility: Poisonous 
. All parts of the plant are bitter
and are at least mildly poisonous.
Online References:
2/26/2010 · Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve, La Jolla, California · ≈ 8 × 6″ (21 × 14 cm) 
2/26/2010 · Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve, La Jolla, California · ≈ 10 × 7″ (26 × 17 cm) 
2/26/2010 · Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve, La Jolla, California · ≈ 1½ × 1′ (49 × 32 cm) 
2/26/2010 · Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve, La Jolla, California · ≈ 3 × 4½″ (7.8 × 11 cm) 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Magnoliopsida | Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves |
| Subclass | Rosidae | Roses, legumes, proteas, dogwoods, hydrangeas, mistletoes, euphorbias, grapes, many more |
| Order | Violales | A large group that takes its name from violets |
| Family | Cucurbitaceae | Squashes, melons, pumpkins, and gourds; name probably from German Kürbiskernöl, “pumpkin” |
| Genus | Marah | Manroots; aboriginal name means “bitter” |
| Species | macrocarpus | From Greek makros, “large,” and karphos, “fruit” |
Marah macrocarpus description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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