E-Mail IMAGE: Pictured is neglected sunflower (Helianthus neglectus Heiser), a wild relative of the cultivated sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.), native to New Mexico and Texas. view more Credit: Katarzyna Stepien Wild cranberries have a sanctuary in West Virginia and wild peppers have a protected area on Arizona's border with Mexico. But many hundreds of other crop wild relatives native to the United States - including those related to apples, hops, grapes, pumpkins and sunflowers, to mention but a few - do not have designated conservation areas or, even when warranted, protected status. The plight of America's crop wild relatives is an overlooked subtheme in the era of human-driven biodiversity loss. A new study in