Flower profile
Chilicothe
Marah macrocarpa
Chilicothe is a flowering plant. In California it's most often seen in bloom in January–April.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: California
Quick look
Marah macrocarpa is a species of plant in the genus Marah commonly referred to as chilicothe, wild cucumber, manroot or bigroot. It is a perennial herb with a large tuber native to Southern California and northern Baja California. It grows in a diverse number of habitats in coastal and inland regions. A member of the gourd family, it produces a large, green, prickly fruit.
- It belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family. iNaturalist
- NatureServe lists it as native to California. NatureServe
- In California, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in January–April. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 20,465 research-grade sightings of it in California, ranking #21 among the 110 flowers on our California list. iNaturalist
Chilicothe gift ideas
Handmade chilicothe gifts from independent makers.
🌱 Sample spot. Handmade gift picks from independent shops will appear here once our shop partnership is approved. These cards are placeholders, not real products.
-
Placeholder
Chilicothe art print
-
Placeholder
Chilicothe greeting card
-
Placeholder
Chilicothe mug
-
Placeholder
Chilicothe earrings
-
Placeholder
Chilicothe embroidery pattern
-
Placeholder
Chilicothe sticker
When does it bloom?
In California, most flowering sightings come in January–April.
Conservation status
- Federal (U.S. ESA)
- Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
- NatureServe global
- G4 Apparently secure worldwide. NatureServe
- California
- Not listed Not on California state-listed endangered, threatened and rare plants (14 CCR § 670.2), per CDFW's CNDDB list (July 2026). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in California. CNDDB listed plants (July 2026)
- Rare elsewhere
- No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.
Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.
Can you eat it?
None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant)) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.
It isn't on the ASPCA plant list.
🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.
Where does it grow?
USDA PLANTS has no state-by-state distribution for this name, so we can't map it yet.
More California flowers
Sources
- USDA PLANTS: no profile matched this name.
- iNaturalist, Marah macrocarpa: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Marah macrocarpa (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
- California: California state-listed endangered, threatened and rare plants (14 CCR § 670.2), per CDFW's CNDDB list (July 2026).
- California: California noxious weed species (3 CCR § 4500).
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- NatureServe Explorer, Marah macrocarpa (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
- Photo: Evrytte Carlson via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.