Skunkbush

Wondering if anyone has any thoughts on what this could be..

I attached a few images.. Some in flower some not.

Seems to need little water and likes compacted, probably acidic soils.

It's full of a sticky resin. Smells great, a familiar scent this time of year in portland.

Annyway thought it was pretty cool. Any ideas?

well NOT cannabis, but im sure you knew that
i dont knwo what it is but it seems interesting, does it smell EXACTLY like cannabis, because i personally love the smell myself...
though one cant find a car freshener that smells similar, neither can the average joe afford, monetarily or legally, to have cannibis on hand at all times for the pleasure of scent...
so it may be a nice alternative

that was lie my 3rd edit btw lol

Milo, that looks like Russian Thistle to me. Something you would want to keep an eye on and not let it spread.
I've been fighting (both physically and philosophically) english ivy at Marylhurst U. and Mary S. Young Park.
I know Permies have different views on 'invasives'.
For now I vow to control.

Rod

Hi Milo -

Don't worry - that's not Russian Thistle - it is some type of navarretia!

It is a cool llttle genus (literally, small statured) that has a really diverse radiation in California.

Diversity of Navarretia by county

Density gradient of native species for Navarretia within the US (data 2011). Darkest green (16 spp. Lake County, CA; Napa County, CA; Amador County, CA) indicates the highest species concentration. ©BONAP

and i was going to guess a member of the hops family....but phlox ?

Most plants in the hops/cannabis family have separate male and female flowers. Hops cones used for brewing are female flower parts - usually you don't see many male plants around as they mess with hops production.

The phlox family is fairly diverse, and navarettia is not particularly closely related to Phlox

http://tolweb.org/Polemoniaceae/20812

Huh, the map says it is found in Wyoming, we are gonna have to keep our eyes open for that Devon. I don't remember ever seeing that.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navarretia

i thought the same thing, it says dry areas so im thinking rock springs area, and north of laramie towards wheatland reservoirs
as well as any localized dry areas - there seems to even be county by county distribution maps on USDA site

will be looking for brewer's navarretia for sure (name makes it sound quite useful lol) but also:
- brewer's: http://plants.usda.gov/java/county?state_name=Wyoming&statefips=56&symbol=NABR
- needleleaf: http://plants.usda.gov/java/county?state_name=Wyoming&statefips=56&symbol=NAIN2
- whitehead: NO COUNTY BY COUNTY MAP
and
- rocky mountain pincushion navarretia: http://plants.usda.gov/java/county?state_name=Wyoming&statefips=56&symbol=NASA3

Chris got it right. It's a skunkbush. I love the smell of cannabis as well but this is described as having an unpleasant odor. It's an annual, native to Western North America and naturalized elsewhere in the world. Hardy to zones 6-9. It has no known medicinal use that I can find but the seeds can be ground up and used as an edible powder of some sort.

Makes me wonder if cannabis also evolved its scent as a defense mechanism, and if so, how did humans come to actually enjoy the so-called unpleasant odor? By association? Either way, very interesting plant. Thanks for sharing, OP! (All those years ago lol)