{"id":1369,"date":"2026-10-27T22:30:22","date_gmt":"2026-10-27T22:30:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/plants\/?p=1369"},"modified":"2026-10-27T22:30:22","modified_gmt":"2026-10-27T22:30:22","slug":"southwest-expansion-new-plants-and-updates-in-september-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/plants\/southwest-expansion-new-plants-and-updates-in-september-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Southwest Expansion: New Plants and Updates in September 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<style>\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);font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:18px;line-height:1.75}\n.pfaf-artemisia-article *{box-sizing:border-box}.pfaf-artemisia-article 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print{.pfaf-artemisia-article{max-width:none;padding:0;font-size:11pt}.pfaf-artemisia-article a{color:inherit}.pfaf-artemisia-article .plant-card,.pfaf-artemisia-article .key-takeaways,.pfaf-artemisia-article .safety-box,.pfaf-artemisia-article .table-scroll{box-shadow:none;break-inside:avoid}.pfaf-artemisia-article .table-scroll{overflow:visible}.pfaf-artemisia-article table{min-width:0;font-size:8.5pt}.pfaf-artemisia-article .pfaf-button{padding:0;border:0;background:transparent;color:var(--pfaf-dark-green)!important;text-decoration:underline!important}}\n<\/style>\n\n<article id=\"southwest-expansion-september-2026\" class=\"pfaf-artemisia-article\">\n\n\n<div class=\"article-intro\">\n<h4>Fourteen new species and subspecies joined the PFAF database in September, alongside substantial updates to 41 existing plant records.<\/h4>\n<p>The Plants For A Future Southwest Expansion moved from desert flowers and peppery seeds to wetland grains and mountain roots in September 2026. This month\u2019s work added or improved 55 plant profiles, ranging from the hummingbird-pollinated flowers of chuparosa to the biscuitroots that once supplied dependable spring food across western North America.<\/p>\n<p>The fourteen new records reveal a recurring theme: useful plants are often hiding behind an unpromising first impression. Tiny goldfields can yield flour, roadside sprangletops can provide wild grain, and a formidable mass of allthorn can shelter desert wildlife. The expanded records distinguish promising foods from merely theoretical ones and give equal attention to habitat, cultivation, identification and safety.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"key-takeaways\">\n<h2>September at a glance<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>55 plant profiles<\/strong> were added or updated.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Fourteen plants<\/strong> are new to the PFAF database.<\/li>\n<li>The new records span <strong>eight botanical families<\/strong>, from acanthus and flax to mustards, grasses and the parsley family.<\/li>\n<li>September adds especially strong detail on <strong>native grains, edible seeds and roots, pollinator plants, preparation and poisonous lookalikes<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n<h2>All plants added or updated in September 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=Justicia+californica\"><em>Justicia californica<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>New:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Koeberlinia+spinosa\"><em>Koeberlinia spinosa<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Lactuca+canadensis\"><em>Lactuca canadensis<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Lactuca+ludoviciana\"><em>Lactuca ludoviciana<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Lactuca+pulchella\"><em>Lactuca pulchella<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Lactuca+serriola\"><em>Lactuca serriola<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Lamium+amplexicaule\"><em>Lamium amplexicaule<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Larrea+tridentata\"><em>Larrea tridentata<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Lasthenia+californica\"><em>Lasthenia californica<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>New:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Lasthenia+californica+subsp.+californica\"><em>Lasthenia californica<\/em> subsp. <em>californica<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Lasthenia+glabrata\"><em>Lasthenia glabrata<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Lathyrus+graminifolius\"><em>Lathyrus graminifolius<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Lathyrus+lanszwertii\"><em>Lathyrus lanszwertii<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Lathyrus+latifolius\"><em>Lathyrus latifolius<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Lathyrus+polymorphus\"><em>Lathyrus polymorphus<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Layia+glandulosa\"><em>Layia glandulosa<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Lemna+gibba\"><em>Lemna gibba<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Lemna+minor\"><em>Lemna minor<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Lepidium+campestre\"><em>Lepidium campestre<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Lepidium+densiflorum\"><em>Lepidium densiflorum<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Lepidium+fremontii\"><em>Lepidium fremontii<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>New:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Lepidium+lasiocarpum\"><em>Lepidium lasiocarpum<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Lepidium+latifolium\"><em>Lepidium latifolium<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>New:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Lepidium+montanum\"><em>Lepidium montanum<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Lepidium+perfoliatum\"><em>Lepidium perfoliatum<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>New:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Lepidium+thurberi\"><em>Lepidium thurberi<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Lepidium+virginicum\"><em>Lepidium virginicum<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>New:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Diplachne+fusca+subsp.+fascicularis\"><em>Diplachne fusca<\/em> subsp. <em>fascicularis<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>New:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Diplachne+fusca+subsp.+uninervia\"><em>Diplachne fusca<\/em> subsp. <em>uninervia<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>New:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Dinebra+panicea+subsp.+brachiata\"><em>Dinebra panicea<\/em> subsp. <em>brachiata<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>New:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Dinebra+viscida\"><em>Dinebra viscida<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Leucanthemum+vulgare\"><em>Leucanthemum vulgare<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Lewisia+brachycalyx\"><em>Lewisia brachycalyx<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Lewisia+pygmaea\"><em>Lewisia pygmaea<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Lewisia+rediviva\"><em>Lewisia rediviva<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Leymus+cinereus\"><em>Leymus cinereus<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Leymus+triticoides\"><em>Leymus triticoides<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Ligusticum+porteri\"><em>Ligusticum porteri<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>New:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Linum+lewisii\"><em>Linum lewisii<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Lithospermum+incisum\"><em>Lithospermum incisum<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Lithospermum+multiflorum\"><em>Lithospermum multiflorum<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Lithospermum+ruderale\"><em>Lithospermum ruderale<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Lolium+temulentum\"><em>Lolium temulentum<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Lomatium+ambiguum\"><em>Lomatium ambiguum<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>New:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Lomatium+bicolor\"><em>Lomatium bicolor<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Lomatium+cous\"><em>Lomatium cous<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Lomatium+dissectum\"><em>Lomatium dissectum<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Lomatium+foeniculaceum\"><em>Lomatium foeniculaceum<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Lomatium+grayi\"><em>Lomatium grayi<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Lomatium+macrocarpum\"><em>Lomatium macrocarpum<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>New:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Lomatium+nevadense\"><em>Lomatium nevadense<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Lomatium+nudicaule\"><em>Lomatium nudicaule<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>New:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Lomatium+simplex\"><em>Lomatium simplex<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Lomatium+triternatum\"><em>Lomatium triternatum<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Lonicera+involucrata\"><em>Lonicera involucrata<\/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. A strong rating reflects documented usefulness, not permission to eat an unidentified wild plant. This is particularly important for September\u2019s biscuitroots, which belong to a family that also contains deadly poisonous lookalikes.<\/p>\n<div class=\"table-scroll\"><table>\n<caption>New plants added during the September 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=Justicia+californica\"><em>Justicia californica<\/em><\/a><\/td><td>Chuparosa<\/td><td>Acanthaceae<\/td><td class=\"rating-number\">4<\/td><td class=\"rating-number\">2<\/td><td class=\"rating-number\">2<\/td><td>Excellent edible flowers and early hummingbird nectar<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Koeberlinia+spinosa\"><em>Koeberlinia spinosa<\/em><\/a><\/td><td>Allthorn<\/td><td>Koeberliniaceae<\/td><td class=\"rating-number\">2<\/td><td class=\"rating-number\">1<\/td><td class=\"rating-number\">2<\/td><td>Wildlife refuge and formidable desert barrier shrub<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Lasthenia+californica+subsp.+californica\"><em>Lasthenia californica<\/em> subsp. <em>californica<\/em><\/a><\/td><td>California goldfields<\/td><td>Asteraceae<\/td><td class=\"rating-number\">3<\/td><td class=\"rating-number\">0<\/td><td class=\"rating-number\">2<\/td><td>Traditional seed flour and pollinator meadow annual<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Lepidium+lasiocarpum\"><em>Lepidium lasiocarpum<\/em><\/a><\/td><td>Shaggyfruit pepperweed<\/td><td>Brassicaceae<\/td><td class=\"rating-number\">4<\/td><td class=\"rating-number\">0<\/td><td class=\"rating-number\">2<\/td><td>Spicy desert seed and useful culinary thickener<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Lepidium+montanum\"><em>Lepidium montanum<\/em><\/a><\/td><td>Mountain pepperweed<\/td><td>Brassicaceae<\/td><td class=\"rating-number\">2<\/td><td class=\"rating-number\">0<\/td><td class=\"rating-number\">2<\/td><td>Widespread native mustard with edible seed<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Lepidium+thurberi\"><em>Lepidium thurberi<\/em><\/a><\/td><td>Thurber\u2019s pepperweed<\/td><td>Brassicaceae<\/td><td class=\"rating-number\">3<\/td><td class=\"rating-number\">0<\/td><td class=\"rating-number\">1<\/td><td>Little-known desert seasoning seed<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Diplachne+fusca+subsp.+fascicularis\"><em>Diplachne fusca<\/em> subsp. <em>fascicularis<\/em><\/a><\/td><td>Bearded sprangletop<\/td><td>Poaceae<\/td><td class=\"rating-number\">4<\/td><td class=\"rating-number\">0<\/td><td class=\"rating-number\">3<\/td><td>Native wild grain, forage and saline-soil plant<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Diplachne+fusca+subsp.+uninervia\"><em>Diplachne fusca<\/em> subsp. <em>uninervia<\/em><\/a><\/td><td>Mexican sprangletop<\/td><td>Poaceae<\/td><td class=\"rating-number\">4<\/td><td class=\"rating-number\">0<\/td><td class=\"rating-number\">3<\/td><td>Overlooked grain of moist disturbed ground<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Dinebra+panicea+subsp.+brachiata\"><em>Dinebra panicea<\/em> subsp. <em>brachiata<\/em><\/a><\/td><td>Red sprangletop<\/td><td>Poaceae<\/td><td class=\"rating-number\">5<\/td><td class=\"rating-number\">0<\/td><td class=\"rating-number\">2<\/td><td>High-quality, easily harvested native cereal<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Dinebra+viscida\"><em>Dinebra viscida<\/em><\/a><\/td><td>Sticky sprangletop<\/td><td>Poaceae<\/td><td class=\"rating-number\">4<\/td><td class=\"rating-number\">0<\/td><td class=\"rating-number\">1<\/td><td>Traditional lower Colorado River grain<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Linum+lewisii\"><em>Linum lewisii<\/em><\/a><\/td><td>Western blue flax<\/td><td>Linaceae<\/td><td class=\"rating-number\">4<\/td><td class=\"rating-number\">2<\/td><td class=\"rating-number\">3<\/td><td>Nutritious cooked seed, fibre and native flowers<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Lomatium+bicolor\"><em>Lomatium bicolor<\/em><\/a><\/td><td>Wasatch springparsley<\/td><td>Apiaceae<\/td><td class=\"rating-number\">4<\/td><td class=\"rating-number\">2<\/td><td class=\"rating-number\">1<\/td><td>Parsnip-like root and aromatic spring greens<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Lomatium+nevadense\"><em>Lomatium nevadense<\/em><\/a><\/td><td>Nevada biscuitroot<\/td><td>Apiaceae<\/td><td class=\"rating-number\">4<\/td><td class=\"rating-number\">2<\/td><td class=\"rating-number\">1<\/td><td>Traditional Great Basin spring root<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td><a href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Lomatium+simplex\"><em>Lomatium simplex<\/em><\/a><\/td><td>Simple biscuitroot<\/td><td>Apiaceae<\/td><td class=\"rating-number\">4<\/td><td class=\"rating-number\">2<\/td><td class=\"rating-number\">2<\/td><td>Drought-adapted native root and early pollinator plant<\/td><\/tr>\n<\/tbody><\/table><\/div>\n\n<h2>Meet September\u2019s fourteen new plants<\/h2>\n\n<div class=\"plant-card\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"plant-thumb\" src=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/Admin\/PlantImages\/Justicia-californica2.jpg\" alt=\"Chuparosa (Justicia californica)\" loading=\"lazy\"><h3><em>Justicia californica<\/em> \u2014 chuparosa<\/h3><div class=\"plant-ratings\"><span class=\"rating-badge\">Edible: 4\/5<\/span><span class=\"rating-badge\">Medicinal: 2\/5<\/span><span class=\"rating-badge\">Other uses: 2\/5<\/span><\/div><p>Chuparosa is one of the Southwest\u2019s finest edible-flowered shrubs. Brilliant red tubes appear in late winter and early spring, often before the leaves, providing both early hummingbird nectar and a rare fresh desert food. The corollas are crisp and juicy, with mild sweetness and a remarkably consistent cucumber-like flavour.<\/p><p><strong>What makes it interesting:<\/strong> The red flowers are built for birds: hovering hummingbirds reach the nectar while dusting their heads with pollen. For people, the same moist flowers can enliven salads or briefly steep into a delicate drink. A drought-tolerant shrub can reach about 1.5 metres and flower longer with occasional irrigation.<\/p><p><strong>Use with care:<\/strong> Only the flowers are regarded as edible. Discard the less-palatable green calyx and do not extend the food use to leaves, stems, roots or fruits.<\/p><a class=\"pfaf-button\" href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Justicia+californica\">View chuparosa in the PFAF database<\/a><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"plant-card\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"plant-thumb\" src=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/Admin\/PlantImages\/Koeberlinia-spinosa.jpg\" alt=\"Allthorn (Koeberlinia spinosa)\" loading=\"lazy\"><h3><em>Koeberlinia spinosa<\/em> \u2014 allthorn<\/h3><div class=\"plant-ratings\"><span class=\"rating-badge\">Edible: 2\/5<\/span><span class=\"rating-badge\">Medicinal: 1\/5<\/span><span class=\"rating-badge\">Other uses: 2\/5<\/span><\/div><p>Allthorn earns its name through a dense, almost impenetrable framework of green, spine-tipped branches. It grows across the Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts, surviving intense heat and drought on rocky slopes, washes and desert flats. Small black berries have been called edible, but their thin pulp, large seeds, bitterness and difficult harvest sharply limit their value.<\/p><p><strong>What makes it interesting:<\/strong> A shrub hostile to a human hand can be a refuge for wildlife. The spiny architecture protects bird nests, reptiles and small mammals from predators and can also serve as an exceptionally effective living barrier.<\/p><p><strong>Use with care:<\/strong> Dense spines make gathering hazardous and detailed food-safety information is limited. Treat the ripe berries as an occasional curiosity, not a routine food.<\/p><a class=\"pfaf-button\" href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Koeberlinia+spinosa\">View allthorn in the PFAF database<\/a><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"plant-card\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"plant-thumb\" src=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/Admin\/PlantImages\/Lasthenia-californica-subsp-californica.jpg\" alt=\"California goldfields (Lasthenia californica subsp. californica)\" loading=\"lazy\"><h3><em>Lasthenia californica<\/em> subsp. <em>californica<\/em> \u2014 California goldfields<\/h3><div class=\"plant-ratings\"><span class=\"rating-badge\">Edible: 3\/5<\/span><span class=\"rating-badge\">Medicinal: 0\/5<\/span><span class=\"rating-badge\">Other uses: 2\/5<\/span><\/div><p>California goldfields can turn open ground brilliant yellow after winter rain. The Cahuilla harvested the tiny dry fruits, or cypselae, and ground them into flour. A single annual offers little, but a dense spring colony changes the arithmetic and makes gathering worthwhile.<\/p><p><strong>What makes it interesting:<\/strong> The whole seed-like cypsela can be used after its loose scales are removed, avoiding the impossible task of extracting the minute true seed. The result is a mild traditional grain from a plant now better known as a pollinator-meadow ornamental.<\/p><p><strong>Use with care:<\/strong> Harvest only abundant, correctly identified populations on clean ground, away from roadsides, spraying and other contamination.<\/p><a class=\"pfaf-button\" href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Lasthenia+californica+subsp.+californica\">View California goldfields in the PFAF database<\/a><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"plant-card\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"plant-thumb\" src=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/Admin\/PlantImages\/Lepidium-lasiocarpum.jpg\" alt=\"Shaggyfruit pepperweed (Lepidium lasiocarpum)\" loading=\"lazy\"><h3><em>Lepidium lasiocarpum<\/em> \u2014 shaggyfruit pepperweed<\/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: 2\/5<\/span><\/div><p>This small annual can carpet the northern Sonoran Desert after winter rain. Its woolly pods hold spicy seeds that work whole, toasted or ground, and release mucilage when cooked, giving them value as both seasoning and thickener.<\/p><p><strong>What makes it interesting:<\/strong> The seeds combine mustard-like heat with unusual culinary versatility. Although cleaning chaff from such small material takes patience, dense stands can produce worthwhile quantities before summer heat ends the plant\u2019s life cycle.<\/p><p><strong>Use with care:<\/strong> Mustard oils create the characteristic heat; normal culinary quantities are appropriate. Gather from clean desert sites and leave enough seed to renew the annual population.<\/p><a class=\"pfaf-button\" href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Lepidium+lasiocarpum\">View shaggyfruit pepperweed in the PFAF database<\/a><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"plant-card\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"plant-thumb\" src=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/Admin\/PlantImages\/Lepidium-montanum.jpg\" alt=\"Mountain pepperweed (Lepidium montanum)\" loading=\"lazy\"><h3><em>Lepidium montanum<\/em> \u2014 mountain pepperweed<\/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>Mountain pepperweed is a highly variable western mustard found from dry grassland and sagebrush to rocky slopes, woodland and mountain valleys. The seeds are the reliably edible part; the leaves are exceptionally bitter and pungent, making them inferior to the greens of better-known pepperweeds.<\/p><p><strong>What makes it interesting:<\/strong> Numerous named varieties reflect both its broad range and taxonomic complexity. That variability makes careful identification important, but it also shows the species\u2019 ability to persist across a striking span of soils, elevations and climates.<\/p><p><strong>Use with care:<\/strong> Limit food use to positively identified mature seed. Glucosinolates supply the heat, while the foliage\u2019s severe bitterness makes it a poor choice as a green.<\/p><a class=\"pfaf-button\" href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Lepidium+montanum\">View mountain pepperweed in the PFAF database<\/a><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"plant-card\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"plant-thumb\" src=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/Admin\/PlantImages\/Lepidium-thurberi.jpg\" alt=\"Thurber\u2019s pepperweed (Lepidium thurberi)\" loading=\"lazy\"><h3><em>Lepidium thurberi<\/em> \u2014 Thurber\u2019s pepperweed<\/h3><div class=\"plant-ratings\"><span class=\"rating-badge\">Edible: 3\/5<\/span><span class=\"rating-badge\">Medicinal: 0\/5<\/span><span class=\"rating-badge\">Other uses: 1\/5<\/span><\/div><p>Thurber\u2019s pepperweed is a desert annual of creosote flats, mesquite scrub, gravelly slopes and open juniper woodland in southeastern Arizona, southwestern New Mexico and northern Mexico. Its seeds have the peppery potential familiar from the genus and can be used whole or ground as a seasoning.<\/p><p><strong>What makes it interesting:<\/strong> This is a promising but under-documented food plant. Its value lies as much in highlighting a research gap as in adding another condiment: close relatives suggest useful seed, yet specific traditional and culinary evidence remains thin.<\/p><p><strong>Use with care:<\/strong> The seeds have the strongest support. The leaves may be edible, but should not be promoted as food without better species-specific evidence.<\/p><a class=\"pfaf-button\" href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Lepidium+thurberi\">View Thurber\u2019s pepperweed in the PFAF database<\/a><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"plant-card\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"plant-thumb\" src=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/Admin\/PlantImages\/Diplachne-fusca-subsp-fascicularis%20.jpg\" alt=\"Bearded sprangletop (Diplachne fusca subsp. fascicularis)\" loading=\"lazy\"><h3><em>Diplachne fusca<\/em> subsp. <em>fascicularis<\/em> \u2014 bearded sprangletop<\/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>Bearded sprangletop is a warm-season grass of fields, ditches, pond margins, wetlands and floodplains across much of the United States. Often dismissed as a weed, it produces edible grain and can grow where seasonal flooding, disturbance and even salinity exclude many conventional crops.<\/p><p><strong>What makes it interesting:<\/strong> Its agricultural reputation hides several useful roles: wild cereal, livestock forage, wildlife seed and cover, and a candidate for stabilising or reclaiming saline ground. The grain is expected to resemble the highly regarded red sprangletop.<\/p><p><strong>Use with care:<\/strong> Clean and cook mature grain, reject mouldy or contaminated material and avoid harvesting from polluted ditches or treated fields. The culinary assessment relies partly on close relatives rather than direct tasting.<\/p><a class=\"pfaf-button\" href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Diplachne+fusca+subsp.+fascicularis\">View bearded sprangletop in the PFAF database<\/a><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"plant-card\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"plant-thumb\" src=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/Admin\/PlantImages\/Diplachne-fusca-subsp-uninervia.jpg\" alt=\"Mexican sprangletop (Diplachne fusca subsp. uninervia)\" loading=\"lazy\"><h3><em>Diplachne fusca<\/em> subsp. <em>uninervia<\/em> \u2014 Mexican sprangletop<\/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>Mexican sprangletop occupies irrigated fields, channels, wetlands, roadsides and other moist lowland sites from the southern United States into tropical America. Its long season and tolerance of disturbance allow it to produce grain in places where more celebrated food plants are rarely sought.<\/p><p><strong>What makes it interesting:<\/strong> The grass demonstrates how irrigation landscapes create accidental grain habitat. It is also useful as fodder and may contribute to saline-soil reclamation, while dense foliage shelters insects and seeds feed birds and small mammals.<\/p><p><strong>Use with care:<\/strong> Its grain is expected to match related sprangletops but was not directly evaluated in the supplied fieldwork. Harvest only clean, mature material from unsprayed sites.<\/p><a class=\"pfaf-button\" href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Diplachne+fusca+subsp.+uninervia\">View Mexican sprangletop in the PFAF database<\/a><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"plant-card\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"plant-thumb\" src=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/Admin\/PlantImages\/Dinebra-panicea-subsp-brachiata.jpg\" alt=\"Red sprangletop (Dinebra panicea subsp. brachiata)\" loading=\"lazy\"><h3><em>Dinebra panicea<\/em> subsp. <em>brachiata<\/em> \u2014 red sprangletop<\/h3><div class=\"plant-ratings\"><span class=\"rating-badge\">Edible: 5\/5<\/span><span class=\"rating-badge\">Medicinal: 0\/5<\/span><span class=\"rating-badge\">Other uses: 2\/5<\/span><\/div><p>Red sprangletop is September\u2019s highest-rated new food plant. This warm-season annual produces abundant, pleasant-tasting grains that are unusually easy to harvest and process for a wild grass. Dense stands in fields, roadside drains and other seasonally moist ground can yield worthwhile quantities despite the grain\u2019s small size.<\/p><p><strong>What makes it interesting:<\/strong> Wild cereals often fail on one of three points\u2014yield, cleaning or flavour. Red sprangletop performs well across all three and shows that an inconspicuous grass can be a more practical food than many famous wild edibles.<\/p><p><strong>Use with care:<\/strong> Mature grain has no reported toxicity when properly cleaned and cooked. Avoid sprayed fields, polluted runoff, mould, ergot and other visibly diseased seed heads.<\/p><a class=\"pfaf-button\" href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Dinebra+panicea+subsp.+brachiata\">View red sprangletop in the PFAF database<\/a><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"plant-card\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"plant-thumb\" src=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/Admin\/PlantImages\/Dinebra-viscida.jpg\" alt=\"Sticky sprangletop (Dinebra viscida)\" loading=\"lazy\"><h3><em>Dinebra viscida<\/em> \u2014 sticky sprangletop<\/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: 1\/5<\/span><\/div><p>Sticky sprangletop is a native cereal grass of warm desert valleys, floodplains, washes and irrigation systems from California to western Texas and northern Mexico. Indigenous peoples of the lower Colorado River region gathered its grain, documenting a food use easily overlooked in modern disturbed landscapes.<\/p><p><strong>What makes it interesting:<\/strong> Its habitat connects desert food systems to water. Seasonal flooding and irrigation can turn a hot, apparently marginal valley into productive grassland, while the seed also supports birds and small mammals.<\/p><p><strong>Use with care:<\/strong> The historical food record is strong, but the supplied fieldwork did not directly taste this grain. Clean and cook it carefully and avoid contaminated watercourses.<\/p><a class=\"pfaf-button\" href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Dinebra+viscida\">View sticky sprangletop in the PFAF database<\/a><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"plant-card\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"plant-thumb\" src=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/Admin\/PlantImages\/Linum-lewisii.jpg\" alt=\"Western blue flax (Linum lewisii)\" loading=\"lazy\"><h3><em>Linum lewisii<\/em> \u2014 western blue flax<\/h3><div class=\"plant-ratings\"><span class=\"rating-badge\">Edible: 4\/5<\/span><span class=\"rating-badge\">Medicinal: 2\/5<\/span><span class=\"rating-badge\">Other uses: 3\/5<\/span><\/div><p>Western blue flax carries sky-blue flowers through plains, meadows, sagebrush and open forest across western North America. The perennial is drought tolerant and ornamental, while its small oil-rich seeds resemble cultivated flax in flavour and nutritional value.<\/p><p><strong>What makes it interesting:<\/strong> Few native wildflowers combine a useful seed crop, fibre for cordage and such garden appeal. The main harvesting challenge is timing: dry capsules release their seeds quickly, so a ripe stand can disperse before a collector returns.<\/p><p><strong>Use with care:<\/strong> Raw seed contains small amounts of cyanogenic compounds and possibly alkaloids. Cook before eating, especially when using more than a small amount.<\/p><a class=\"pfaf-button\" href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Linum+lewisii\">View western blue flax in the PFAF database<\/a><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"plant-card\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"plant-thumb\" src=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/Admin\/PlantImages\/Lomatium-bicolor.jpg\" alt=\"Wasatch springparsley (Lomatium bicolor)\" loading=\"lazy\"><h3><em>Lomatium bicolor<\/em> \u2014 Wasatch springparsley<\/h3><div class=\"plant-ratings\"><span class=\"rating-badge\">Edible: 4\/5<\/span><span class=\"rating-badge\">Medicinal: 2\/5<\/span><span class=\"rating-badge\">Other uses: 1\/5<\/span><\/div><p>Wasatch springparsley is one of the better-flavoured biscuitroots, with thick starchy roots compared to parsnip and tender aromatic leaves and young flowers. It grows in mountain meadow, rocky slope and open woodland, particularly in northern Utah and Nevada.<\/p><p><strong>What makes it interesting:<\/strong> Early yellow flower clusters feed native bees and flies at a lean time of year. Cooking improves the flavour of the edible parts, while the perennial root\u2019s ability to survive dry summers reflects a classic western spring-growth strategy.<\/p><p><strong>Use with care:<\/strong> This is for expert identification only. Parsley-family plants can resemble deadly spotted hemlock, and furanocoumarins may cause skin irritation or photosensitivity.<\/p><a class=\"pfaf-button\" href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Lomatium+bicolor\">View Wasatch springparsley in the PFAF database<\/a><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"plant-card\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"plant-thumb\" src=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/Admin\/PlantImages\/Lomatium-nevadense.jpg\" alt=\"Nevada biscuitroot (Lomatium nevadense)\" loading=\"lazy\"><h3><em>Lomatium nevadense<\/em> \u2014 Nevada biscuitroot<\/h3><div class=\"plant-ratings\"><span class=\"rating-badge\">Edible: 4\/5<\/span><span class=\"rating-badge\">Medicinal: 2\/5<\/span><span class=\"rating-badge\">Other uses: 1\/5<\/span><\/div><p>Nevada biscuitroot is a drought-adapted perennial of Great Basin sagebrush valleys, foothills, rocky slopes and open woodland. Its starchy tuberous roots were a traditional spring food, especially where locally abundant, although it is less productive than the largest biscuitroot species.<\/p><p><strong>What makes it interesting:<\/strong> The plant stores the previous season\u2019s work underground, then grows and flowers rapidly while spring moisture is available. That strategy makes the root both a survival organ and a concentrated seasonal food.<\/p><p><strong>Use with care:<\/strong> Soak or cook the root to reduce furanocoumarins. Misidentification with spotted hemlock can be fatal, so do not harvest without expert-level certainty.<\/p><a class=\"pfaf-button\" href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Lomatium+nevadense\">View Nevada biscuitroot in the PFAF database<\/a><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"plant-card\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"plant-thumb\" src=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/Admin\/PlantImages\/Lomatium-simplex.jpg\" alt=\"Simple biscuitroot (Lomatium simplex)\" loading=\"lazy\"><h3><em>Lomatium simplex<\/em> \u2014 simple biscuitroot<\/h3><div class=\"plant-ratings\"><span class=\"rating-badge\">Edible: 4\/5<\/span><span class=\"rating-badge\">Medicinal: 2\/5<\/span><span class=\"rating-badge\">Other uses: 2\/5<\/span><\/div><p>Simple biscuitroot grows across sagebrush, desert grassland, dry mountain meadow and open woodland in western North America. Its cooked root belongs to the group of dependable spring foods traditionally gathered by Indigenous peoples, though it is less famous than cous or fernleaf biscuitroot.<\/p><p><strong>What makes it interesting:<\/strong> It can be cultivated in an exceptionally well-drained native garden with little summer water. The early flowers make the plant doubly useful, supplying pollen and nectar before many later-season wildflowers open.<\/p><p><strong>Use with care:<\/strong> Cooking or soaking is required, and furanocoumarins can increase sensitivity to sunlight. The overriding danger is confusion with poisonous parsley-family species, especially spotted hemlock.<\/p><a class=\"pfaf-button\" href=\"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/user\/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Lomatium+simplex\">View simple biscuitroot 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>Edibility ratings summarise documented potential; they do not replace positive identification, careful preparation or responsible harvesting. Plant part, season, dose, site contamination and individual health all matter. September\u2019s biscuitroots require especially strong caution because deadly spotted hemlock and other poisonous members of the parsley family can appear similar. Never rely on a photograph, common name or rating alone.<\/p><\/div>\n\n<h2>What the September updates add<\/h2>\n<p>The 41 revised profiles turn September into a set of useful comparisons. Four wild lettuces can now be considered alongside one another, as can eleven pepperweeds and eleven biscuitroots. That broader context helps users see where closely related plants genuinely share uses\u2014and where bitterness, limited evidence, invasive behaviour or safety concerns make a species less useful than its relatives.<\/p>\n<p>The month also strengthens records for desert and wetland plants at opposite ends of the water spectrum. Creosote bush stands beside duckweeds, rush-like grasses and moisture-loving sprangletops. Updates to <em>Lewisia<\/em>, <em>Leymus<\/em>, <em>Lithospermum<\/em> and <em>Lathyrus<\/em> add further depth across mountain, prairie and woodland habitats.<\/p>\n\n<h2>Small seeds, substantial stories<\/h2>\n<p>September\u2019s most striking pattern is the importance of small seeds. Goldfields, pepperweeds, flax and sprangletops all demand patient gathering, yet several produce practical food when they occur in abundance. Red sprangletop is the standout, combining good flavour with comparatively simple harvesting and processing. Shaggyfruit pepperweed offers a different sort of usefulness: a spicy seed that can also thicken cooked food.<\/p>\n<p>These records also show why field observation matters. A berry may be technically edible but too spiny, seedy and unpleasant to justify gathering. A grass dismissed as a weed may prove a better staple. Honest accounts of flavour, yield and labour turn a list of uses into information a reader can actually evaluate.<\/p>\n\n<h2>The Southwest Expansion continues<\/h2>\n<p>With every month, the Southwest Expansion becomes more than a larger species list. It becomes a clearer guide to relationships: between plant and habitat, traditional knowledge and modern cultivation, promising food and impractical curiosity, ecological value and personal safety.<\/p>\n<p>Explore the linked profiles above for full identification, habitat, cultivation, edible, medicinal, safety and ecological information behind September\u2019s work.<\/p>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Fourteen new species and subspecies joined the PFAF database in September, alongside substantial updates to 41 existing plant records. The Plants For A Future Southwest Expansion moved from desert flowers and peppery seeds to wetland grains and mountain roots in September 2026. This month\u2019s work added or improved 55 plant profiles, ranging from the hummingbird-pollinated [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1371,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1369","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-plants","category-projects"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/plants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1369","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=1369"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/plants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1369\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1370,"href":"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/plants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1369\/revisions\/1370"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/plants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1371"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/plants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1369"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/plants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1369"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pfaf.org\/plants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1369"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}