Porophyllum ruderale aka Yerba Porosa

Porophyllum ruderale goes by the name papalo quelite. It belongs to Asteraceae, the daisy family. This annual herb is native to tropical America. Its range also reaches the warm southern United States. Records place it in Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. It grows through Mexico and Central America farther south. Its range reaches Bolivia, Peru, and northern Brazil too. People gather it wild and grow it for food.

The plant grows upright and has few branches. One source gives its height as about 1.6 feet [0.5 metres]. That source's fuller account gives 0.7–3.3 feet [0.2–1 metre]. All parts have a strong smell that some find unpleasant. The leaves taste and smell sharp, much like cilantro. Glands in the leaves hold oils that give off scent. Insects carry pollen between the flowers.

This herb needs sun and soil that drains well. It accepts a range of soil types under those conditions. In the wild, it often grows in sandy ground. It grows on rocky slopes, plains, and streamside sandbars. It also grows on disturbed land and in desert mountains. There, it uses sites that stay wet for short spells. In regions with little rain, growth follows the rains. Kew places it in the seasonally dry tropical climate zone. You can sow seeds where the plants will grow.

People use the leaves as a vegetable and a seasoning. They eat them raw or cooked in a range of foods. These include salads, stews, and salsa. Their strong taste goes well with tomatoes, onions, and chilli. Growers also sell the leaves in local markets. Useful Tropical Plants reports no known hazards for this species. This does not prove safety for pets or every use. Its known garden value rests mainly on its edible leaves.

Traditional medicine uses the plant to treat inflammation, or swelling. Past uses of the roots include treatment for snakebite. They also include rheumatic pain and erysipelas, a skin infection. These records of past use do not prove safe treatment. The essential oil also shows effects against fungi. Researchers have proposed its use to protect grain after harvest. The whole oil had stronger effects than its parts tested alone. The species can grow as a weed on disturbed soil. The supplied account makes claims about invasive spread for a subspecies. Those claims do not cover the species as a whole.