Marah (fabaceus)
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John W. Hunt Project Manager/Ecologist University of California - Chico California State University, Chico Chico, California 95929-0555 530-228-7594 530-898-4363 (fax) jwhunt@csuchico.edu www.idahobotanicalgarden.org |
| Family Scientific Name: | Cucurbitaceae | ||
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| Family Common Name: | Cucumber | ||
| Scientific Name: | Marah fabaceus | ||
| Common Name: | California manroot | ||
| Ecotype: | Seed collected along Butler Slough and Antelope Creek in eastern Tehama County, California | ||
| General Distribution: |
Majority of California. Streamsides, washes, shrubby and open areas below 1,600 meters (Hickman 1993). |
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| Propagation Goal: | plants | ||
| Propagation Method: | seed | ||
| ProductType: | Container (plug) | ||
| Stock Type: | Potted nursery stock | ||
| Time To Grow: | 0 | ||
| Target Specifications: | First year plant with large taproot 8-10 inches long and 1-4cm in diameter. | ||
| Propagule Collection: | Clean seed may be rapidly collected from ripening fruits of after falling to the ground from early to late spring. | ||
| Propagule Processing: | Large seeds, weighing 0.5-0.8 grams each, may rapidly be collected from ripening fruits from early-late spring. | ||
| Pre-Planting Treatments: | None, though clean dry seed was placed in dry, cold storage following collection and prior to sowing. | ||
| Growing Area Preparation/ Annual Practices for Perennial Crops: |
During November 2004, seed was directly sown into D-pots containing a potting mixture of approximately 1:1:1:2 sand:pumice:peat moss:fir bark mixture. One seed was pushed approximately 1/2" deep into each container. Pots were placed in a greenhouse and watered regularly to keep soil moist. Greenhouse propagation is not necessary and plants may easily be propagated outdoors from fall through spring. Seed was also directly sown into 1.5" deep flats containing the same potting soil as above. Flats were placed in an outdoor cold frame from late-fall though spring. Initial germination was observed within 2-3 weeks. Respective germination rates for greenhouse and coldframe plants were 92% and 85%. | ||
| Establishment Phase: | High germination rates (85-92%) were observed within 3-weeks of planting. Robust seedlings with deep, thick taproots were established by most individuals by the first spring. | ||
| Length of Establishment Phase: | Sprouts were established within approximately 4 weeks. | ||
| Active Growth Phase: | Active growth was observed within 2 weeks after seeding in fall. Plants produced a vigorous clambering vine which died back rapidly and completely by the end of the first spring. | ||
| Length of Active Growth Phase: | Approximately 7 months, from fall through spring, plants senescing by the beginning of summer. | ||
| Hardening Phase: | Hardening is not necessary as the active growth phase starts with the onset of fall rains and plants senesce around the end of spring or beginning of summer. | ||
| Harvesting, Storage and Shipping: | Individuals go dormant following spring-summer dry down and die back to the root. Dormant individuals were placed in dry storage at 60-70 degrees Farenheit. | ||
| Length of Storage: | 2-4 months | ||
| Other Comments: | Flowering: Mid January - May (Oswald and Ahart 2002). Seed collection: March - June/July (seed may be collected on the ground within leaf litter below dried fruits duirng the latter part of the collecting period). This species has a very high germination rate and rapidly establishes a large, deep taproot with vigorous above ground growth. Partial funding for this project was made available by the California State University Agricultural Research Initiative (ARI). | ||
| References: | Hickman, James, Ed. 1993. The Jepson Manual: Higher Plants of California. University of California Press, Berkeley, California.; Oswald, Vern and Lowell Ahart. 2002. Selected Plants of Northern California and Adjacent Nevada. CNPS | ||
Citation:
Leigh, Mark; Pushnik, James C.; Boul, Rachelle D.; Brown, Matthew R.; Hunt, John W.; Koenig, David A.. 2006. Propagation protocol for production of Container (plug) Marah fabaceus plants Potted nursery stock; University of California - Chico Chico, California. In: Native Plant Network. URL: https://NativePlantNetwork.org (accessed 2024/07/02). US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Center for Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources.
