Wild Cucumber

Marah macrocarpa is a climbing perennial grown from a large, fleshy root which can weigh up to 100 pounds. Named for its cucumber-like fruit (a spiky, ovoid gourd), the plant anchors itself with tendrils which grow opposite the leaves. The flowers are white and five-pointed. The plant can be found in chaparral, roadsides, foothill woodland and coastal sage scrub habitats.