Marah horridus facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Marah horridus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Cucurbitales
Family:	Cucurbitaceae
Genus:	Marah
Species:	M. horridus
Binomial name
Marah horridus (Congd.) S.T.Dunn
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Marah horridus, often called Sierra manroot, is a fascinating species of flowering plant. It's part of the Cucurbitaceae family, which includes plants like pumpkins and cucumbers! This plant is endemic to California, meaning it grows naturally only there. You can find it in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada and the Tehachapi Mountains. It prefers sunny, open areas and places with shrubs, usually below 1,000 meters (about 3,300 feet) in elevation.

Flowers and developing fruit

What is Sierra Manroot?

The Sierra manroot is a perennial vine. This means it lives for many years, unlike plants that die after just one season. It grows from a very large, branched tuber, which is like a big underground storage root.

This plant produces long, climbing stems. These stems have special curly parts called tendrils. Tendrils help the vine grab onto other plants or objects, allowing it to climb high. The plant also has many rounded leaves with several lobes, giving them an interesting shape.

Flowers and Fruit

The Sierra manroot produces small, white flowers. After the flowers bloom, they develop into unique fruit. The fruit is an oblong, densely prickly capsule. It can be anywhere from 9 to 20 centimeters (about 3.5 to 8 inches) long.

Inside each prickly fruit, you'll find 6 to 24 seeds. Each seed is quite large, measuring about 26 to 32 millimeters (about 1 to 1.25 inches) long.