In the early spring of 1935 a now forgotten farmer planted a small handful of tiny brown seeds several miles east of Deming, New Mexico. The seed, obtained from Europe in pursuit of an ardent interest in unusual plants was from peganum harmala, a perennial herb native to the deserts of northern Africa, western Asia, and south-eastern Europe, Nurtured by the arid climate, P. harmala grew well in the sandy sail of southern New Mexico. The plants flourished, produced viable seed, and quickly escaped. Now, almost fifty years since its introduction into the American Southwest, P. harmala occurs naturally in arid region of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and Nevada.