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Marah macrocarpus

Common name:	Chilicothe	Family:	Cucurbitaceae
Author:	(Greene.)Greene.	Botanical references:	71, 200
Synonyms:	Echinocystis macrocarpa (Greene.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	South-western N. America - California.
Habitat:	Dry places below 900 metres[71].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	0	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	2

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	M. macrocarpa[G]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Cucamonga Manroot [P,B],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	macrocarpus = large fruited;
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Violales. Cucumber family

Physical Characteristics

Perennial Climber growing to 5m at a fast rate. It is hardy to zone 8. It is in flower from July to September. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects. The plant is self-fertile. We rate it 0/5 for edibility and 2/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires dry or moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Sunny Edge, Dappled Shade.

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Parasiticide; Purgative; Skin.

The root is purgative[61, 257].
The seed is made into a paste and used as a treatment on pimples and skin sores[257]. The oil from the seed is rubbed into the scalp to treat diseased scalps and hair roots[257].
The plant juices can be used as a parasiticide, rubbed onto areas of skin affected by ringworm[257].

Other Uses

Dye; Paint; Soap.

A red dye is obtained from the seed[61]. It can be mixed with iron oxide and turpentine to make a paint[257].
The root is used to make a detergent lather[257].

Cultivation details

Prefers a sunny position in a well-drained rich soil with abundant moisture[1, 175]. Succeeds in ordinary garden soil[175]. Plants are found in dry soils in the wild so this suggests that they will be better off in a dry soil in this country[K].
A perennial plant, it is not very hardy in Britain, tolerating temperatures down to about -5°c, and is perhaps best grown as an annual.
A climbing plant, supporting itself by means of tendrils[219].

Propagation

Seed - sow early spring in pots of rich soil in a greenhouse. Germination usually takes place within 1 - 2 weeks at 20°c. Put 2 or 3 seeds in each pot and thin to the best plant. Grow on fast and plant out after the last expected frosts.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[C] Taxon data. from the CalFlora database.
Images from the CalPhoto database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Marah macrocarpa (a possible synonym).

[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[71] Munz. A California Flora. University of California Press 1959
An excellent flora but no pictures. Not for the casual reader.

[175] Bird. R. (Editor) Focus on Plants. Volume 5. (formerly 'Growing from seed') Thompson and Morgan. 1991
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. A good article on Corydalis spp.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[219] Grey-Wilson. C. & Matthews. V. Gardening on Walls Collins 1983 ISBN 0-00-219220-0
A nice little book about plants for growing against walls and a small section on plants that can grow in walls.

[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.

Readers Comments

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Bibliography

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
Blagdon Cross, Ashwater, Beaworthy, Devon, EX21 5DF, UK.
Website: www.pfaf.org Phone: 0845 458 4719/_44(0) 1208 872963

This page (UK) http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Marah+macrocarpus
This page (US) http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Marah+macrocarpus

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We make no claims of magical effects or supernatural powers for any item in this catalog. In spite of legendary attributes or occult and craft tradition, such items are offered as curios only and beliefs concerning their magical effectiveness are related only for historical interest.