Marah oreganus - Citizendia

Coastal Manroot

Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Class:	Magnoliopsida
Order:	Cucurbitales
Family:	Cucurbitaceae
Genus:	Marah
Species:	M. Plants are living Organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. The flowering plants or angiosperms ( Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta) are the most widespread group Dicotyledons, or "dicots", is a name for a group of Flowering plants whose Seed typically has two embryonic leaves or Cotyledons There The Cucurbitales are an order of Flowering plants included in the Rosid group of Dicotyledons This order mostly belongs to tropical areas with limited Cucurbitaceae is a Plant family commonly known as Melons, gourds or cucurbits and includes crops like Cucumbers For the Morning glory called "manroot" see Wild Potato Vine ( Ipomoea pandurata) oreganus

Binomial name

Marah oreganus
(Torr. ex S.Wats.) T. John Torrey ( August 15, 1796 &ndash March 10, 1873) was an American botanist. Sereno Watson ( December 1, 1826 in East Windsor Hill, Connecticut - March 9, 1892 in Cambridge Massachusetts J. Howell

The Oregon Manroot or Coastal Manroot, Marah oregonus, is a common manroot of northern west coast of the U.S.. For the Morning glory called "manroot" see Wild Potato Vine ( Ipomoea pandurata) The United States of America —commonly referred to as the It ranges from California north to Canada.

1 Foliage
2 Flower
3 Fruit
4 Seeds & Germination
5 Habits
6 General
7 Medicinal uses
8 Gallery
9 External links

Foliage

Coastal manroot has the least pubescent bud, leaves, and branches of all the manroot species. Northern populations 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 100kg. A tuberous root is a modified lateral Root, enlarged to function as a Storage organ. Newly exposed tubers can be seen along roadcuts or eroded slopes and have a scaley, tan-colored surface. Injured or decaying tubers take on a golden or orange color.

Flower

The flower can vary in colour 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. Plant sexuality covers the wide variety of Sexual reproduction systems found across the Plant kingdom 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 fertilise the female flowers on the same plant; pollination is by insects. Insects ( Class Insecta) are a major group of Arthropods and the most diverse group of Animals on the Earth with over a million described

Fruit

The fruit is spherical, 4-5 cm in diameter, and covered in prickles of variable density, up to 1cm 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 & 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.

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. A perennial plant or perennial ( Latin per, "through" annus, "year" is a Plant that lives for more than 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.

General

All parts of the plant have a bitter taste (this is the meaning of the genus name Marah, which comes from Hebrew). Despite this, the leaves have been used as a vegetable. The large tuber of the manroot can be processed for a soap-like extract.

Medicinal uses

Marah oreganus was used by the Native Americans for various problems. For indigenous peoples in the United States other than Hawaii and Alaska see also Native Americans in the United States. The Chinook made a poultice from the gourd. The Squaxin mashed the upper stalk in water to dip aching hands. Squaxin Island Tribe (also Squaxin, Squaxon) is a Native American tribe in western Washington state in the United States. The Chehalis burned the root and mixed the resulting powder with bear grease to apply to scrofula sores. Scrofula ( scrophula or struma) is any of a variety of Skin diseases in particular a form of Tuberculosis, affecting the Lymph nodes The Coast Salish made a decoction to treat venereal disease, kidney trouble and scrofula sores. Coast Salish refers to a cultural or ethnographic designation of a subgroup of the First Nations or Native American cultures in British Columbia,