Seeds and Germination
Seeds of Marah macrocarpus are large, hard, and very smooth. Southern California Manroot has larger, longer seeds that the other manroot species except for Marah horridus. Fruit usually hold four or more seeds. Seeds sprout in the cool wetness of late winter. 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.
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