{"id":1354,"date":"2026-09-07T22:44:51","date_gmt":"2026-09-07T22:44:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/plants\/?p=1354"},"modified":"2026-09-09T22:32:25","modified_gmt":"2026-09-09T22:32:25","slug":"southwest-expansion-new-plants-and-updates-in-august-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/plants\/southwest-expansion-new-plants-and-updates-in-august-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Southwest Expansion: New Plants and Updates in August 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<style>\n:root { color-scheme: light; }\nhtml { scroll-behavior: smooth; }\nbody { margin: 0; background: #fff; color: #30332d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; }\n.pfaf-artemisia-article { --pfaf-green:#657718; --pfaf-light-green:#a9b923; --pfaf-dark-green:#3f4d0d; --pfaf-pale-green:#f3f6e8; --pfaf-cream:#fafbf6; --pfaf-border:#d9dfbf; --pfaf-text:#30332d; --pfaf-warning:#fff7dc; --pfaf-warning-border:#d5a72f; max-width:1100px; margin:0 auto; padding:42px 28px 70px; color:var(--pfaf-text); 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}\n@media(max-width:700px){.pfaf-artemisia-article{padding:28px 18px 50px;font-size:17px;line-height:1.68}.article-intro,.key-takeaways,.plant-card,.safety-box{padding:21px 20px}.plant-update-list{columns:1}.plant-thumb{float:none;width:100%;max-height:300px;margin:0 0 20px}.pfaf-button{width:100%;text-align:center}}\n@media print{.pfaf-artemisia-article{max-width:none;padding:0;font-size:11pt}.pfaf-artemisia-article a{color:inherit}.plant-card,.key-takeaways,.safety-box,.table-scroll{box-shadow:none;break-inside:avoid}.table-scroll{overflow:visible}table{min-width:0;font-size:8.5pt}.pfaf-button{padding:0;border:0;background:transparent;color:var(--pfaf-dark-green)!important;text-decoration:underline!important}}\n<\/style>\n<article id=\"southwest-expansion-august-2026\" class=\"pfaf-artemisia-article\">\n\n<div class=\"article-intro\">\n<h4>Ten new species and varieties joined the PFAF database in August, alongside substantial updates to 17 existing plant records.<\/h4>\n<p>The Plants For A Future Southwest Expansion continued across desert washes, mountain woodlands, stream margins and high, rocky slopes in August 2026. This month\u2019s work added or improved 27 plant profiles, from native hops and woodland waterleaf to desert lavender, morning glory and the junipers that define so much of the western landscape.<\/p>\n<p>The ten new records are a particularly varied group. Some offer genuinely useful foods; others are far more valuable for pollinators, restoration or water-wise planting. Several also show why careful identification, conservative use and honest assessment of harvesting effort are essential parts of a useful plant database.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"key-takeaways\">\n<h2>August at a glance<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>27 plant profiles<\/strong> were added or updated.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Ten plants<\/strong> are new to the PFAF database.<\/li>\n<li>The new plants span <strong>seven botanical families<\/strong> and habitats from low desert to cool montane forest.<\/li>\n<li>The month\u2019s records add clearer detail on <strong>cultivation, traditional use, practical food value, hazards and ecological function<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n<h2>All plants added or updated in August 2026<\/h2>\n<p>Follow any name below to open its full PFAF database profile. Plants marked <strong>new<\/strong> were added to the database this month.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"plant-update-list\">\n<li><strong>New:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Condea+emoryi\"><em>Condea emoryi<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>New:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Eremalche+exilis\"><em>Eremalche exilis<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>New:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Humulus+americanus\"><em>Humulus americanus<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Humulus+lupulus\"><em>Humulus lupulus<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>New:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Humulus+neomexicanus\"><em>Humulus neomexicanus<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Hydrophyllum+capitatum\"><em>Hydrophyllum capitatum<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>New:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Hydrophyllum+fendleri\"><em>Hydrophyllum fendleri<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Hydrophyllum+occidentale\"><em>Hydrophyllum occidentale<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>New:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Hymenopappus+filifolius\"><em>Hymenopappus filifolius<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>New:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Hymenoxys+cooperi\"><em>Hymenoxys cooperi<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Hymenoxys+hoopesii\"><em>Hymenoxys hoopesii<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>New:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Hymenoxys+richardsonii+var.+floribunda\"><em>Hymenoxys richardsonii<\/em> var. <em>floribunda<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Ipomoea+leptophylla\"><em>Ipomoea leptophylla<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>New:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Ipomoea+plummerae\"><em>Ipomoea plummerae<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>New:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Jamesia+americana\"><em>Jamesia americana<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Juglans+major\"><em>Juglans major<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Juglans+microcarpa\"><em>Juglans microcarpa<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Juncus+balticus\"><em>Juncus balticus<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Juniperus+californica\"><em>Juniperus californica<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Juniperus+communis\"><em>Juniperus communis<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Juniperus+deppeana\"><em>Juniperus deppeana<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Juniperus+monosperma\"><em>Juniperus monosperma<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Juniperus+occidentalis\"><em>Juniperus occidentalis<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Juniperus+osteosperma\"><em>Juniperus osteosperma<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Juniperus+scopulorum\"><em>Juniperus scopulorum<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Koeleria+macrantha\"><em>Koeleria macrantha<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Krascheninnikovia+lanata\"><em>Krascheninnikovia lanata<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<h2>New plants added to the PFAF database<\/h2>\n<p>The ratings below use the familiar PFAF five-point scale. Ratings describe documented usefulness, not a blanket recommendation to eat or self-medicate with a plant. In August\u2019s group, several of the lowest-rated food plants are among the most interesting additions for pollinators, dryland gardens and habitat restoration.<\/p>\n<div class=\"table-scroll\"><table>\n<caption>New plants added during the August 2026 Southwest Expansion<\/caption>\n<thead><tr><th>Species<\/th><th>Common name<\/th><th>Family<\/th><th>Edible<\/th><th>Medicinal<\/th><th>Other<\/th><th>Main importance<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr><td><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Condea+emoryi\"><em>Condea emoryi<\/em><\/a><\/td><td>Desert lavender<\/td><td>Lamiaceae<\/td><td class=\"rating-number\">1<\/td><td class=\"rating-number\">2<\/td><td class=\"rating-number\">2<\/td><td>Long-flowering desert pollinator shrub<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Eremalche+exilis\"><em>Eremalche exilis<\/em><\/a><\/td><td>White fivespots<\/td><td>Malvaceae<\/td><td class=\"rating-number\">2<\/td><td class=\"rating-number\">0<\/td><td class=\"rating-number\">2<\/td><td>Desert annual and spring pollinator flower<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Humulus+americanus\"><em>Humulus americanus<\/em><\/a><\/td><td>American hop<\/td><td>Cannabaceae<\/td><td class=\"rating-number\">3<\/td><td class=\"rating-number\">5<\/td><td class=\"rating-number\">3<\/td><td>Native edible shoots and aromatic hop cones<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Humulus+neomexicanus\"><em>Humulus neomexicanus<\/em><\/a><\/td><td>New Mexico hop<\/td><td>Cannabaceae<\/td><td class=\"rating-number\">3<\/td><td class=\"rating-number\">3<\/td><td class=\"rating-number\">3<\/td><td>Drought-adapted native hop and wildlife climber<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Hydrophyllum+fendleri\"><em>Hydrophyllum fendleri<\/em><\/a><\/td><td>Fendler\u2019s waterleaf<\/td><td>Boraginaceae<\/td><td class=\"rating-number\">2<\/td><td class=\"rating-number\">0<\/td><td class=\"rating-number\">2<\/td><td>Mountain woodland perennial and bee plant<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Hymenopappus+filifolius\"><em>Hymenopappus filifolius<\/em><\/a><\/td><td>Fineleaf woollywhite<\/td><td>Asteraceae<\/td><td class=\"rating-number\">0<\/td><td class=\"rating-number\">0<\/td><td class=\"rating-number\">2<\/td><td>Drought-tolerant wildflower and pollinator plant<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Hymenoxys+cooperi\"><em>Hymenoxys cooperi<\/em><\/a><\/td><td>Cooper\u2019s rubberweed<\/td><td>Asteraceae<\/td><td class=\"rating-number\">0<\/td><td class=\"rating-number\">0<\/td><td class=\"rating-number\">2<\/td><td>Xeriscape wildflower with important toxicity notes<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Hymenoxys+richardsonii+var.+floribunda\"><em>Hymenoxys richardsonii<\/em> var. <em>floribunda<\/em><\/a><\/td><td>Colorado rubberweed<\/td><td>Asteraceae<\/td><td class=\"rating-number\">0<\/td><td class=\"rating-number\">0<\/td><td class=\"rating-number\">2<\/td><td>Dry-upland pollinator plant with livestock hazards<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Ipomoea+plummerae\"><em>Ipomoea plummerae<\/em><\/a><\/td><td>Huachuca morning glory<\/td><td>Convolvulaceae<\/td><td class=\"rating-number\">4<\/td><td class=\"rating-number\">0<\/td><td class=\"rating-number\">3<\/td><td>Excellent small tuber and Sky Island wildflower<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Jamesia+americana\"><em>Jamesia americana<\/em><\/a><\/td><td>American cliffbush<\/td><td>Hydrangeaceae<\/td><td class=\"rating-number\">1<\/td><td class=\"rating-number\">0<\/td><td class=\"rating-number\">2<\/td><td>Rock-garden shrub and mountain habitat plant<\/td><\/tr>\n<\/tbody><\/table><\/div>\n\n<h2>Meet August\u2019s ten new plants<\/h2>\n\n<div class=\"plant-card\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"plant-thumb\" src=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/Admin\/PlantImages\/Humulus-americanus1.jpg\" alt=\"American hop (Humulus americanus)\" loading=\"lazy\"><h3><em>Humulus americanus<\/em> \u2014 American hop<\/h3><div class=\"plant-ratings\"><span class=\"rating-badge\">Edible: 3\/5<\/span><span class=\"rating-badge\">Medicinal: 5\/5<\/span><span class=\"rating-badge\">Other uses: 3\/5<\/span><\/div><p>American hop is a vigorous perennial bine native to riverbanks, floodplains, moist thickets and woodland edges across eastern and central North America. New shoots rise from a persistent crown each spring and can climb to about 7 metres. The tender young shoots are the plant\u2019s most dependable vegetable use; harvested at roughly 6\u201310 cm, they can be cooked rather like asparagus. Female cones provide the familiar bitter, aromatic hop character.<\/p><p><strong>What makes it interesting:<\/strong> Backward-pointing hairs allow the stems to climb without tendrils, and the plant can form a dense seasonal curtain valuable to insects and birds. This native hop also brings regional genetic diversity to a crop better known through European <em>H. lupulus<\/em>.<\/p><p><strong>Use with care:<\/strong> Hops are biologically active and sedating. Concentrated use may compound alcohol or sedative medicines, while the rough stems, pollen and resins can irritate susceptible skin.<\/p><a class=\"pfaf-button\" href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Humulus+americanus\">View American hop in the PFAF database<\/a><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"plant-card\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"plant-thumb\" src=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/Admin\/PlantImages\/Humulus-lupulus-neomexicanus.jpg\" alt=\"New Mexico hop (Humulus neomexicanus)\" loading=\"lazy\"><h3><em>Humulus neomexicanus<\/em> \u2014 New Mexico hop<\/h3><div class=\"plant-ratings\"><span class=\"rating-badge\">Edible: 3\/5<\/span><span class=\"rating-badge\">Medicinal: 3\/5<\/span><span class=\"rating-badge\">Other uses: 3\/5<\/span><\/div><p>The Southwest\u2019s native hop grows through canyons, mountain valleys and open oak, pinyon-juniper and ponderosa pine woodland. Its roots prefer dependable seasonal moisture, while the stems climb into light. Tender spring shoots are an excellent cooked vegetable, and Apache peoples traditionally boiled the aromatic female cones before using them to flavour foods and drinks.<\/p><p><strong>What makes it interesting:<\/strong> Compared with European hop, this western species is adapted to drier interior climates. It offers breeders and gardeners a native perennial climber with edible shoots, fragrant cones and useful drought resilience once established.<\/p><p><strong>Use with care:<\/strong> Use the bitter cones in moderate culinary amounts. Rough hooked hairs can scratch skin, resins may irritate, and the plant\u2019s mild sedative action can add to alcohol or sedative medicines.<\/p><a class=\"pfaf-button\" href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Humulus+neomexicanus\">View New Mexico hop in the PFAF database<\/a><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"plant-card\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"plant-thumb\" src=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/Admin\/PlantImages\/Hydrophyllum-fendleri.jpg\" alt=\"Fendler\u2019s waterleaf (Hydrophyllum fendleri)\" loading=\"lazy\"><h3><em>Hydrophyllum fendleri<\/em> \u2014 Fendler\u2019s waterleaf<\/h3><div class=\"plant-ratings\"><span class=\"rating-badge\">Edible: 2\/5<\/span><span class=\"rating-badge\">Medicinal: 0\/5<\/span><span class=\"rating-badge\">Other uses: 2\/5<\/span><\/div><p>Fendler\u2019s waterleaf is a soft-leaved perennial of moist canyons, stream margins, woodland openings and mountain forest floors in the southern Rocky Mountains. It reaches about 60 cm, flowers in pale lavender to whitish purple and makes a natural companion for violets, columbines and native ferns in cool, humus-rich shade.<\/p><p><strong>What makes it interesting:<\/strong> Snowmelt supports its lush spring growth before the dry season arrives. The flowers provide nectar and pollen to bumblebees and solitary woodland bees, while ethnobotanical sources record the fleshy roots as edible.<\/p><p><strong>Use with care:<\/strong> Species-specific chemistry remains incomplete. Because the wider borage family includes plants that produce pyrrolizidine alkaloids, regular consumption is not recommended without better evidence.<\/p><a class=\"pfaf-button\" href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Hydrophyllum+fendleri\">View Fendler\u2019s waterleaf in the PFAF database<\/a><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"plant-card\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"plant-thumb\" src=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/Admin\/PlantImages\/Hymenopappus-filifolius.jpg\" alt=\"Fineleaf woollywhite (Hymenopappus filifolius)\" loading=\"lazy\"><h3><em>Hymenopappus filifolius<\/em> \u2014 fineleaf woollywhite<\/h3><div class=\"plant-ratings\"><span class=\"rating-badge\">Edible: 0\/5<\/span><span class=\"rating-badge\">Medicinal: 0\/5<\/span><span class=\"rating-badge\">Other uses: 2\/5<\/span><\/div><p>Fineleaf woollywhite combines finely divided, silvery foliage with clusters of yellow flower heads across desert grassland, sagebrush, rocky slopes and open woodland. It tolerates drought, alkaline soils and intense sun, and can flower over a long season when conditions allow.<\/p><p><strong>What makes it interesting:<\/strong> Its chief value is ecological rather than culinary. The flowers support native bees, butterflies and other insects, while the seeds feed small birds. Its foliage also gives dry gardens texture long before the flowers open.<\/p><p><strong>Use with care:<\/strong> Historical chewing-gum and medicinal records do not make this a food plant. Its strongly bitter, resinous chemistry makes consumption inadvisable.<\/p><a class=\"pfaf-button\" href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Hymenopappus+filifolius\">View fineleaf woollywhite in the PFAF database<\/a><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"plant-card\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"plant-thumb\" src=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/Admin\/PlantImages\/Hymenoxys-cooperi.jpg\" alt=\"Cooper\u2019s rubberweed (Hymenoxys cooperi)\" loading=\"lazy\"><h3><em>Hymenoxys cooperi<\/em> \u2014 Cooper\u2019s rubberweed<\/h3><div class=\"plant-ratings\"><span class=\"rating-badge\">Edible: 0\/5<\/span><span class=\"rating-badge\">Medicinal: 0\/5<\/span><span class=\"rating-badge\">Other uses: 2\/5<\/span><\/div><p>This drought-adapted perennial brightens the deserts and lower foothills of southern Utah, northern Arizona and the Colorado Plateau with yellow, daisy-like flowers. It thrives in full sun and sharply drained sandy or gravelly soil, where excess irrigation can be more damaging than drought.<\/p><p><strong>What makes it interesting:<\/strong> Cooper\u2019s rubberweed can keep flowering through harsh midsummer conditions, extending forage for native pollinators when many less-adapted plants have finished. That resilience also makes it a strong candidate for xeriscapes and native restoration.<\/p><p><strong>Use with care:<\/strong> This plant contains toxic sesquiterpene lactones, including hymenoxon and hymenovin, associated with serious livestock poisoning. Historical root-resin chewing does not justify consumption.<\/p><a class=\"pfaf-button\" href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Hymenoxys+cooperi\">View Cooper\u2019s rubberweed in the PFAF database<\/a><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"plant-card\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"plant-thumb\" src=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/Admin\/PlantImages\/Hymenoxys-richardsonii-var-floribunda.jpg\" alt=\"Colorado rubberweed (Hymenoxys richardsonii var. floribunda)\" loading=\"lazy\"><h3><em>Hymenoxys richardsonii<\/em> var. <em>floribunda<\/em> \u2014 Colorado rubberweed<\/h3><div class=\"plant-ratings\"><span class=\"rating-badge\">Edible: 0\/5<\/span><span class=\"rating-badge\">Medicinal: 0\/5<\/span><span class=\"rating-badge\">Other uses: 2\/5<\/span><\/div><p>Colorado rubberweed is a characteristic summer wildflower of Canyonlands, pinyon-juniper woodland, sagebrush and open rocky slopes. Compact plants, generally about 50 cm tall, carry masses of bright yellow flowers and tolerate the lean, dry ground of the interior West.<\/p><p><strong>What makes it interesting:<\/strong> Smaller roots and naturally occurring resin were occasionally chewed as gum, but the plant produces only modest latex. Its more important modern roles are supporting pollinators, adding summer colour and revealing how plants persist in dry upland communities.<\/p><p><strong>Use with care:<\/strong> Like Cooper\u2019s rubberweed, it contains toxic hymenoxon and hymenovin. Livestock poisoning can cause digestive, neurological and weakness symptoms; the plant should not be presented as an edible gum.<\/p><a class=\"pfaf-button\" href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Hymenoxys+richardsonii+var.+floribunda\">View Colorado rubberweed in the PFAF database<\/a><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"plant-card\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"plant-thumb\" src=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/Admin\/PlantImages\/Eremalche-exilis.jpg\" alt=\"White fivespots (Eremalche exilis)\" loading=\"lazy\"><h3><em>Eremalche exilis<\/em> \u2014 white fivespots<\/h3><div class=\"plant-ratings\"><span class=\"rating-badge\">Edible: 2\/5<\/span><span class=\"rating-badge\">Medicinal: 0\/5<\/span><span class=\"rating-badge\">Other uses: 2\/5<\/span><\/div><p>White fivespots is a small annual of desert flats, washes, sandy slopes and rocky ground from southeastern California and Utah into northwestern Mexico. Its seeds wait through dry periods and germinate after favourable winter rain, so a place that seems empty one year may carry a brief flowering population the next.<\/p><p><strong>What makes it interesting:<\/strong> This boom-and-bust strategy turns short pulses of desert moisture into flowers, seed and insect food. It is a useful reminder that annual seed banks are a hidden but vital part of desert resilience.<\/p><p><strong>Use with care:<\/strong> Star-shaped hairs can irritate skin, mouth and throat. Any traditional food use requires careful cleaning and preparation; the plant is better regarded as an occasional desert food than a staple.<\/p><a class=\"pfaf-button\" href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Eremalche+exilis\">View white fivespots in the PFAF database<\/a><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"plant-card\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"plant-thumb\" src=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/Admin\/PlantImages\/Condea-emoryi.jpg\" alt=\"Desert lavender (Condea emoryi)\" loading=\"lazy\"><h3><em>Condea emoryi<\/em> \u2014 desert lavender<\/h3><div class=\"plant-ratings\"><span class=\"rating-badge\">Edible: 1\/5<\/span><span class=\"rating-badge\">Medicinal: 2\/5<\/span><span class=\"rating-badge\">Other uses: 2\/5<\/span><\/div><p>Desert lavender is an aromatic grey-green shrub of Sonoran and southern Mojave washes and rocky canyon bottoms. It is unrelated to true lavender, but its fragrant foliage and violet-purple flowers make the name feel entirely appropriate. Established shrubs can flower more than once in a favourable year, sometimes responding rapidly to rain.<\/p><p><strong>What makes it interesting:<\/strong> The flowers are an important nectar source for bees and butterflies, and the plant is recorded as a host for the Gray Hairstreak. Its edible nutlets are trapped in flexible, hairy calyces that resist rubbing and winnowing\u2014an excellent example of how theoretical edibility can be defeated by processing effort.<\/p><p><strong>Use with care:<\/strong> Food-safety research is limited, and strongly aromatic foliage should not be assumed safe for concentrated use. Material from washes may also collect pollution carried from upstream.<\/p><a class=\"pfaf-button\" href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Condea+emoryi\">View desert lavender in the PFAF database<\/a><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"plant-card\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"plant-thumb\" src=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/Admin\/PlantImages\/Ipomoea-plummerae.jpg\" alt=\"Huachuca morning glory (Ipomoea plummerae)\" loading=\"lazy\"><h3><em>Ipomoea plummerae<\/em> \u2014 Huachuca morning glory<\/h3><div class=\"plant-ratings\"><span class=\"rating-badge\">Edible: 4\/5<\/span><span class=\"rating-badge\">Medicinal: 0\/5<\/span><span class=\"rating-badge\">Other uses: 3\/5<\/span><\/div><p>This modest perennial vine is native to the Sky Island mountains of southeastern Arizona and adjacent southwestern New Mexico. It emerges with summer rain to flower in open pine-oak woodland, rocky clearings and canyon margins, then retreats to an underground storage organ during drought.<\/p><p><strong>What makes it interesting:<\/strong> Its small tubers were traditionally eaten and, when cooked, have a flavour and texture likened to cultivated sweet potato. It is one of August\u2019s strongest edible additions, but its limited distribution and the fact that harvesting kills the plant make cultivation far preferable to wild collection.<\/p><p><strong>Use with care:<\/strong> Only the correctly identified tuber has an established food use. Do not generalise from this species to other morning glories, and protect scattered wild colonies.<\/p><a class=\"pfaf-button\" href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Ipomoea+plummerae\">View Huachuca morning glory in the PFAF database<\/a><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"plant-card\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"plant-thumb\" src=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/Admin\/PlantImages\/Jamesia-americana.jpg\" alt=\"American cliffbush (Jamesia americana)\" loading=\"lazy\"><h3><em>Jamesia americana<\/em> \u2014 American cliffbush<\/h3><div class=\"plant-ratings\"><span class=\"rating-badge\">Edible: 1\/5<\/span><span class=\"rating-badge\">Medicinal: 0\/5<\/span><span class=\"rating-badge\">Other uses: 2\/5<\/span><\/div><p>American cliffbush is a deciduous western shrub of cliffs, rocky canyon bottoms, streambanks and mountain woodland. White to pale-pink flowers, toothed opposite leaves, peeling bark and warm autumn colour give it four-season ornamental interest, especially where roots can find cool pockets of soil among rocks.<\/p><p><strong>What makes it interesting:<\/strong> Mescalero and Chiricahua Apache records mention the developing fruits as an occasional fresh food. Yet the \u201cfruits\u201d are dry capsules that rapidly become woody, bland and difficult to chew. The contrast makes this a valuable case study in separating a genuine historical use from a practical modern food recommendation.<\/p><p><strong>Use with care:<\/strong> Only immature capsules have a record of use, and modern toxicological information is sparse. Mature woody capsules may present choking or dental hazards; no low-value harvest warrants climbing an unsafe cliff.<\/p><a class=\"pfaf-button\" href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Jamesia+americana\">View American cliffbush in the PFAF database<\/a><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"safety-box\"><h3>A database record is a starting point, not a foraging shortcut<\/h3><p>Correct identification is essential. Ratings summarise recorded uses and usefulness; they do not establish that every part, preparation or dose is safe. August\u2019s additions include sedating hops, plants with uncertain chemistry, mechanically irritating hairs and two toxic rubberweeds. Consider local conservation status, obtain permission, avoid contaminated ground and consult the full database entry before experimenting.<\/p><\/div>\n\n<h2>What the August updates add<\/h2>\n<p>The revised records broaden the month\u2019s story beyond the ten newcomers. Three waterleaf profiles now give users a better basis for comparing woodland species. Updates to <em>Humulus lupulus<\/em> place the two native hops in clearer context, while work on <em>Ipomoea leptophylla<\/em> and two native walnuts expands the picture of perennial foods in dry country.<\/p>\n<p>The seven updated junipers are especially significant. Together with Baltic rush, prairie Junegrass and winterfat, they add practical information about shelter, wildlife, revegetation and resilience across wetlands, grasslands, shrublands and open western woodland.<\/p>\n\n<h2>From desert washes to mountain shade<\/h2>\n<p>August\u2019s plants show that \u201cuseful\u201d has many meanings. Huachuca morning glory hides an excellent tuber below ground, while American and New Mexico hops combine edible shoots with aromatic cones. At the opposite end of the food scale, desert lavender and American cliffbush are more revealing for the reasons they are impractical to eat: one holds tiny seeds in stubborn calyces, while the other turns its fruit into wood.<\/p>\n<p>The three yellow-flowered members of the daisy family are strongest as ecological plants. Their drought tolerance and long flowering seasons are real assets, but the rubberweeds also carry clear toxicity warnings. Recording both value and limitation is central to PFAF\u2019s work.<\/p>\n\n<h2>The Southwest Expansion continues<\/h2>\n<p>Each new or improved record makes the database more useful to growers, researchers, restoration practitioners and curious plant lovers. The Southwest Expansion is not simply increasing the number of species online: it is adding the context needed to understand where a plant grows, how it might be cultivated, what it contributes to an ecosystem and when caution matters more than novelty.<\/p>\n<p>Explore the linked profiles above for the full cultivation, habitat, edible, medicinal, safety and ecological notes behind August\u2019s work.<\/p>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ten new species and varieties joined the PFAF database in August, alongside substantial updates to 17 existing plant records. The Plants For A Future Southwest Expansion continued across desert washes, mountain woodlands, stream margins and high, rocky slopes in August 2026. This month\u2019s work added or improved 27 plant profiles, from native hops and woodland [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1356,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1354","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-plants","category-projects"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/plants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1354","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/plants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/plants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/plants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/plants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1354"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/plants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1354\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1361,"href":"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/plants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1354\/revisions\/1361"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/plants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1356"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/plants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1354"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/plants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1354"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/plants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1354"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}