Marah macrocarpa (Chilicothe)
Credit: Jason Johns
about the species
Marah macrocarpa occurs in the southwestern portion of California and into northern Baja California in washes and shrubby open areas. Like other species of Marah, it annually produces herbaceous vines from a large underground tuber. It generally has large fruits (8 – 12 cm) with dense, stiff prickles. See Marah fabacea for more about this genus.
why species was selected
Like a number of California plant groups, Marah species form a replacement series around the central valley with different species primarily found in southern, central or northern portions of the coast ranges or Sierra Nevada. The genus was important to indigenous Californians, who used it to stun fish and as a soap.
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