Marah oreganus

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Marah oreganus
Marah oreganus 000.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Cucurbitales
Family: Cucurbitaceae
Genus: Marah
Species:
M. oreganus
Binomial name
Marah oreganus
Synonyms

Marah oregana

Marah oreganus, the Oregon manroot, coastal manroot or western wild-cucumber, [1] is a common manroot of the northwest coast of the United States. It ranges from California north to Canada.

Contents

Foliage

Coastal manroot has the least pubescent bud, leaves, and branches of all the manroot species. Populations in more northern climates are nearly hairless with glossy leaves. Vines appear in late winter or early spring in response to increased rainfall, and can climb or scramble to a length of 6m. Its leaves typically have five lobes with individual plants showing wide variation in leaf size and lobe length. Although leaf size is highly variable, coastal manroot tends to have larger leaves than other Marah species.

Vines emerge from a large, hard tuberous root which can reach several meters in length and weigh in excess of 100 kg. Newly exposed tubers can be seen along roadcuts or eroded slopes and have a scaly, tan-colored surface. Injured or decaying tubers take on a golden or orange color.

Flower

The flower can vary in color from yellowish green to cream to white. Flowers appear soon after the vine emerges. The flowers are monoecious, that is, individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant. Male flowers appear in open spikes while females flowers, distinguished by a swollen base, usually appear individually. The plant is self-fertile, i.e. pollen from the male flowers can fertilize the female flowers on the same plant; pollination is by insects.

Fruit

The fruit is spherical, 4–5 cm in diameter, and covered in prickles of variable density, up to 1 cm long but without hooks. Unripe fruit are bright green, ripening to yellow. The fruit swells as it ripens until finally rupturing and releasing the large seeds. Fruit begin to form in spring and ripen in summer.

Seeds and germination

Seeds of the coastal manroot are large, hard, and smooth. Unlike the bullet-shaped seeds of other Marah species, coastal manroot seeds are more flattened and disc-like. Fruit usually hold 4 or more seeds. Seeds have an intriguing germination process. The initial shoot emerges from the seed and grows downward into the earth. This shoot then splits, one part beginning to swell and form the tuber, while the second part grows back to the surface and becomes the vine.

The seeds may be fatally poisonous. [2]

Habits

Coastal manroot grows most vigorously by streams or in washes but can also be successful in dryer areas, at elevations up to 1600 metres. It will tolerate a variety of soil types and acidities, but it requires at least seasonally moist soil. Vines can grow in full-sun to heavily shaded conditions. In mild areas of its range where year-round moisture is available, vines are perennial. In cold winter areas, vines die back in fall. In areas with seasonal wetness, vines emerge at the beginning of the wet season and die back completely in the dry season.

Uses

All parts of the plant have a bitter taste (this is the meaning of the genus name Marah, which comes from Hebrew). The fruit is inedible. [3] Some Native Americans may have consumed the seeds to commit suicide. [2] The large tuber of the manroot can be processed for a soap-like extract.[ citation needed ]

Medicinal uses

Marah oreganus was used by the Native Americans for various health problems. The Chinook made a poultice from the gourd. The Squaxin mashed the upper stalk in water to dip aching hands. The Chehalis people burned the root and mixed the resulting powder with bear grease to apply to scrofula sores. The Coast Salish made a decoction to treat venereal disease, kidney trouble and scrofula sores.

Toxicity

The leaves and fruit contain high concentrations of tetracyclic triterpenoid compounds known as cucurbitacins. They impart a bitter flavor which serve as a natural pest deterrent. When ingested they can lead to various degrees of gastrointestinal upset and dehydration. Although data for this specific variety of wild cucumber is limited, case reports of ingestion of other species within the Cucurbitaceae family have been found to induce severe illness requiring intensive care support to treat dehydration from the profound gastrointestinal distress. [4] There is no specific antidote.

These compounds have also been reported to induce delayed alopecia although the mechanism is unknown. [5]

Related Research Articles

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<i>Marah</i> (plant) Genus of plants

Marah are flowering plants in the gourd family (Cucurbitaceae), native to western North America. The genus was named for Marah in Exodus 15:22–25, which was said to be named for the bitter water there.

<i>Marah fabacea</i> Species of flowering plant

Marah fabacea, the California manroot or bigroot, is the most common of the manroot species native to California. Its range throughout the state subsumes nearly the entire ranges of all the other California native manroots species and intergrades. Hybrids between California manroot and other species of Marah are common.

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<i>Marah watsonii</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Momordica balsamina</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Marah macrocarpa</i> Species of flowering plant

Marah macrocarpa, known as chilicothe, wild cucumber, manroot or bigroot is a species of plant in the genus Marah.

<i>Tacca leontopetaloides</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Sicyos angulatus</i> Species of flowering plant

Sicyos angulatus, the oneseed bur cucumber or star-cucumber is an annual vine in the gourd family, Cucurbitaceae, native to eastern North America. The plant forms mats or climbs using tendrils. The leaves are palmately veined and lobed, the flowers are green to yellowish green, and the fruits form clusters of very small pepos.

<i>Ipomoea pandurata</i> Species of flowering plant

Ipomoea pandurata, known as man of the earth, wild potato vine, manroot, wild sweet potato, and wild rhubarb, is a species of herbaceous perennial vine native to North America. It is a twining plant of woodland verges and rough places with heart-shaped leaves and funnel-shaped white flowers with a pinkish throat. The large tuberous roots can be roasted and eaten, or can be used to make a poultice or infusion. When uncooked, the roots have purgative properties.

<i>Carpobrotus chilensis</i> Species of succulent

Carpobrotus chilensis is a species of succulent plant known by the common name sea fig. It grows on coastal sand dunes and bluffs and is used as an ornamental plant, and it is also edible. However, along with its even more troublesome cousin, C. edulis, it has invaded sections of the California coast at the expense of native vegetation, and is subject to control efforts.

<i>Echinocystis</i> Genus of flowering plants

Echinocystis is a monotypic genus in the gourd family, Cucurbitaceae. The sole species is E. lobata, commonly called wild cucumber, prickly cucumber or bur cucumber. It is an annual, sprawling plant that is native to North America.

<i>Marah horridus</i> Species of flowering plant

Marah horridus, common name Sierra manroot, is a species of flowering plant in the family Cucurbitaceae, endemic to the foothills of the Sierra Nevada and the Tehachapi Mountains in California. It grows in open and shrubby areas below 1,000 m (3,300 ft) elevation.

<i>Ipomoea leptophylla</i> Species of flowering plant

Ipomoea leptophylla, the bush morning glory, bush moonflower or manroot, is a species of flowering plant in the bindweed family, Convolvulaceae.

<i>Ipomoea coccinea</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Gloriosa superba</i> Species of plant

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Marah gilensis, commonly known as the Gila manroot, is a species of flowering plant in the family Cucurbitaceae, endemic to Arizona and New Mexico in the United States.

<i>Adenia hondala</i> Species of plant

Adenia hondala, commonly known as hondala is a large, tuberous, woody climber which scrambles over other plants. It is found in the Indian subcontinent, including Sri Lanka, and in southeastern Asia. The tuber and the fruit are used as herbal remedies and the plant is used as a cure for snake bites. The caterpillars of several species of butterfly feed on this plant; these include the tawny coster, the clipper, the common cruiser and the Tamil lacewing.

<i>Cucumis dipsaceus</i> Species of plant

Cucumis dipsaceus, also known as Arabian cucumber or hedgehog cucumber, is an annual climbing herb that can be found in tropical and arid locations. The plant is native to eastern Africa, first found in Sudan, southern Egypt, and Ethiopia. The developed fruits of the plant change from green to yellow and contain many seeds. The hairs that cover the oblong fruits nickname this species the “hedgehog cucumber”.

<i>Solena amplexicaulis</i> Species of flowering plant

Solena amplexicaulis, commonly known as the creeping cucumber, is a species of plant in the family Cucurbitaceae, native to tropical southern Asia. The fruits, leaves, roots and shoots have use as food and in traditional medicine.

References

  1. ↑ "Marah oreganus". CalPhotos. University of California, Berkeley . Retrieved July 31, 2011.
  2. 1 2 Benoliel, Doug (2011). Northwest Foraging: The Classic Guide to Edible Plants of the Pacific Northwest (Rev. and updated ed.). Seattle, WA: Skipstone. p. 209. ISBN   978-1-59485-366-1. OCLC   668195076.
  3. ↑ Fagan, Damian (2019). Wildflowers of Oregon: A Field Guide to Over 400 Wildflowers, Trees, and Shrubs of the Coast, Cascades, and High Desert. Guilford, CT: FalconGuides. p. 43. ISBN   1-4930-3633-5. OCLC   1073035766.
  4. ↑ Kusin S, Angert T, Von Derau K, Horowitz BZ, Giffin S. “Toxic Squash Syndrome:  a case series of diarrheal illness following ingestion of bitter squash, 1999-2011.” Clin Toxicol 2012; 50(7):658.
  5. ↑ Assouly, Philippe (2018-05-01). "Hair Loss Associated With Cucurbit Poisoning". JAMA Dermatology. 154 (5): 617. doi:10.1001/jamadermatol.2017.6128. ISSN   2168-6068.
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