Ezina · A field manual for plant care · Contiguous U.S.Vol. I · Ed. 2027 · Proof copy

Invasive plants regulated in California

California lists 162 plants as noxious weeds under Cal. Code Regs. tit. 3, 4500. The table below reproduces that list in full, showing each plant's status in the state's own words. California's list is an agricultural noxious-weed law, which governs control and spread on farmland and rights of way rather than what a nursery may sell.

Compiled from the rule itself, retrieved July 20, 2026. Law changes; if you spot a listing we have wrong or stale, tell us at [email protected].

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24 of these plants are native to part of the United States, marked US native below. Nativity is regional. Black locust is native to the Appalachians and regulated in New England; Palmer amaranth is native to the Southwest and listed as an agricultural weed in the Corn Belt. A listing tells you what California regulates, not where a plant belongs. The county checker answers the second question.

Regulated and invasive are two different findings, and this page shows them separately. 90 of the 162 plants below carry both: California names them in statute and GRIIS lists them as invasive in the United States. The other 72 are regulated by California without appearing on that register. The reverse is far more common still: most plants GRIIS calls invasive are named in no state’s statute at all and are sold freely, so an absent chip is never a clean bill of health.

Plant Scientific name Status California’s determination
Alkali Swainsonpea Sphaerophysa salsula Listed California lists Alkali Swainsonpea as a noxious weed species.
Alligatorweed Alternanthera philoxeroides Listed Invasive California lists Alligatorweed as a noxious weed species.
American Spongeplant US native Limnobium spongia Listed California lists American Spongeplant as a noxious weed species.
Argentine Screwbean Prosopis strombulifera Listed California lists Argentine Screwbean as a noxious weed species.
Artichoke Cynara cardunculus Listed Invasive California lists Artichoke as a noxious weed species.
Asian Marshweed Limnophila sessiliflora Listed Invasive California lists Asian Marshweed as a noxious weed species.
Asiatic Witchweed Striga asiatica Listed Invasive California lists Asiatic Witchweed as a noxious weed species.
Austrian Yellowcress Rorippa austriaca Listed Invasive California lists Austrian Yellowcress as a noxious weed species.
Barbed Goatgrass Aegilops triuncialis Listed Invasive California lists Barbed Goatgrass as a noxious weed species.
Barbwire Russian Thistle Salsola paulsenii Listed California lists Barbwire Russian Thistle as a noxious weed species.
Biddy-Biddy Acaena novae-zelandiae Listed California lists Biddy-Biddy as a noxious weed species.
Black Henbane Hyoscyamus niger Listed Invasive California lists Black Henbane as a noxious weed species.
Blue Panicum Panicum antidotale Listed Invasive California lists Blue Panicum as a noxious weed species.
Bohemian Knotweed Polygonum x bohemicum Listed California lists Bohemian Knotweed as a noxious weed species.
Bridal Broom Retama monosperma Listed California lists Bridal Broom as a noxious weed species.
Broadleaved Pepperweed Lepidium latifolium Listed Invasive California lists Broadleaved Pepperweed as a noxious weed species.
Brownbeard Rice Oryza rufipogon Listed California lists Brownbeard Rice as a noxious weed species.
Bull Thistle Cirsium vulgare Listed Invasive California lists Bull Thistle as a noxious weed species.
Camelthorn Alhagi maurorum Listed Invasive California lists Camelthorn as a noxious weed species.
Canada Thistle Cirsium arvense Listed Invasive California lists Canada Thistle as a noxious weed species.
Canary Island St. Johnswort Hypericum canariense Listed Invasive California lists Canary Island St. Johnswort as a noxious weed species.
Cantaloupe Cucumis melo Listed Invasive California lists Cantaloupe as a noxious weed species.
Capetown Grass Tribolium obliterum Listed California lists Capetown Grass as a noxious weed species.
Carolina Fanwort US native Cabomba caroliniana Listed California lists Carolina Fanwort as a noxious weed species.Plant instead: Star Sedge, Geyer's Sedge, Inland Sedge
Carolina Horsenettle US native Solanum carolinense Listed California lists Carolina Horsenettle as a noxious weed species.
Chinese Sprangletop Leptochloa chinensis Listed California lists Chinese Sprangletop as a noxious weed species.
Coastal Sandbur US native Cenchrus spinifex Listed California lists Coastal Sandbur as a noxious weed species.
Common Cordgrass Spartina anglica Listed California lists Common Cordgrass as a noxious weed species.
Common Crupina Crupina vulgaris Listed Invasive California lists Common Crupina as a noxious weed species.
Common Frogbit Hydrocharis morsus-ranae Listed Invasive California lists Common Frogbit as a noxious weed species.
Common Goldenthistle Scolymus hispanicus Listed California lists Common Goldenthistle as a noxious weed species.
Common Gorse Ulex europaeus Listed Invasive California lists Common Gorse as a noxious weed species.
Common Salttree Halimodendron halodendron Listed California lists Common Salttree as a noxious weed species.
Common St. Johnswort Hypericum perforatum Listed Invasive California lists Common St. Johnswort as a noxious weed species.
Creeping Yellowcress Rorippa sylvestris Listed Invasive California lists Creeping Yellowcress as a noxious weed species.
Crossflower Chorispora tenella Listed Invasive California lists Crossflower as a noxious weed species.
Cultivated Knotweed Polygonum polystachyum Listed Invasive California lists Cultivated Knotweed as a noxious weed species.
Curly Plumeless Thistle Carduus crispus Listed Invasive California lists Curly Plumeless Thistle as a noxious weed species.
Dalmatian Toadflax Linaria dalmatica Listed Invasive California lists Dalmatian Toadflax as a noxious weed species.
Denseflower Cordgrass Spartina densiflora Listed California lists Denseflower Cordgrass as a noxious weed species.
Diffuse Knapweed Centaurea diffusa Listed Invasive California lists Diffuse Knapweed as a noxious weed species.
Drummond's Beeblossom US native Oenothera xerogaura Listed California lists Drummond's Beeblossom as a noxious weed species.
Dwarf Eelgrass Nanozostera japonica Listed California lists Dwarf Eelgrass as a noxious weed species.
Dyer's Woad Isatis tinctoria Listed Invasive California lists Dyer's Woad as a noxious weed species.
Eggleaf Spurge Euphorbia oblongata Listed California lists Eggleaf Spurge as a noxious weed species.
Endive Daisy Rhagadiolus stellatus Listed California lists Endive Daisy as a noxious weed species.
European Mistletoe Viscum album Listed California lists European Mistletoe as a noxious weed species.
Field Bindweed Convolvulus arvensis Listed Invasive California lists Field Bindweed as a noxious weed species.
Field Sowthistle Sonchus arvensis Listed Invasive California lists Field Sowthistle as a noxious weed species.
Fireweed Groundsel Senecio linearifolius Listed Invasive California lists Fireweed Groundsel as a noxious weed species.
Five-Stamen Tamarisk Tamarix chinensis Listed Invasive California lists Five-Stamen Tamarisk as a noxious weed species.
Foxtail Restharrow Ononis alopecuroides Listed California lists Foxtail Restharrow as a noxious weed species.
French Broom Genista monspessulana Listed Invasive California lists French Broom as a noxious weed species.
French Tamarisk Tamarix gallica Listed Invasive California lists French Tamarisk as a noxious weed species.
Geraldton Carnation Weed Euphorbia terracina Listed Invasive California lists Geraldton Carnation Weed as a noxious weed species.
Giant Knotweed Polygonum sachalinense Listed Invasive California lists Giant Knotweed as a noxious weed species.
Giant Reed Arundo donax Listed Invasive California lists Giant Reed as a noxious weed species.
Giantchickweed Myosoton aquaticum Listed California lists Giantchickweed as a noxious weed species.
Gooseberry Gourd Cucumis myriocarpus Listed Invasive California lists Gooseberry Gourd as a noxious weed species.
Grassleaf Spurge Euphorbia graminea Listed Invasive California lists Grassleaf Spurge as a noxious weed species.
Great Ragweed US native Ambrosia trifida Listed California lists Great Ragweed as a noxious weed species.
Hairy Crabweed Fatoua villosa Listed Invasive California lists Hairy Crabweed as a noxious weed species.
Hairy Whitetop Cardaria pubescens Listed California lists Hairy Whitetop as a noxious weed species.
Hardheads Acroptilon repens Listed Invasive California lists Hardheads as a noxious weed species.
Harmal Peganum Peganum harmala Listed Invasive California lists Harmal Peganum as a noxious weed species.
Heartleaf Horsenettle Solanum cardiophyllum Listed California lists Heartleaf Horsenettle as a noxious weed species.
Hemp Broomrape Orobanche ramosa Listed California lists Hemp Broomrape as a noxious weed species.
Hoary Alyssum Berteroa incana Listed Invasive California lists Hoary Alyssum as a noxious weed species.
Iberian Knapweed Centaurea iberica Listed California lists Iberian Knapweed as a noxious weed species.
Indian Marshweed Limnophila indica Listed Invasive California lists Indian Marshweed as a noxious weed species.
Indian Swampweed Hygrophila polysperma Listed Invasive California lists Indian Swampweed as a noxious weed species.
Italian Plumeless Thistle Carduus pycnocephalus Listed Invasive California lists Italian Plumeless Thistle as a noxious weed species.
Japanese Bristlegrass Setaria faberi Listed Invasive California lists Japanese Bristlegrass as a noxious weed species.
Japanese Knotweed Fallopia japonica (potentially invasive weed) Listed Invasive California lists Japanese Knotweed as a noxious weed species.
Japanese Thistle Cirsium japonicum Listed California lists Japanese Thistle as a noxious weed species.
Jointed Goatgrass Aegilops cylindrica Listed Invasive California lists Jointed Goatgrass as a noxious weed species.
Kikuyugrass Pennisetum clandestinum Listed Invasive California lists Kikuyugrass as a noxious weed species.
Large-Flower Primrose-Willow Ludwigia grandiflora subsp. hexapetala Listed California lists Large-Flower Primrose-Willow as a noxious weed species.
Leafy Spurge Euphorbia esula Listed Invasive California lists Leafy Spurge as a noxious weed species.
Lenspod Whitetop Cardaria chalepensis Listed California lists Lenspod Whitetop as a noxious weed species.
Maltese Star-Thistle Centaurea melitensis Listed Invasive California lists Maltese Star-Thistle as a noxious weed species.
Mat Sandbur US native Cenchrus longispinus Listed California lists Mat Sandbur as a noxious weed species.
Mediterranean Onion Allium paniculatum Listed California lists Mediterranean Onion as a noxious weed species.
Mediterranean Sage Salvia aethiopis Listed Invasive California lists Mediterranean Sage as a noxious weed species.
Medusahead Taeniatherum caput-medusae Listed Invasive California lists Medusahead as a noxious weed species.
Muster John Henry Tagetes minuta Listed Invasive California lists Muster John Henry as a noxious weed species.
Nimblewill US native Muhlenbergia schreberi Listed California lists Nimblewill as a noxious weed species.
Nodding Plumeless Thistle Carduus nutans Listed Invasive California lists Nodding Plumeless Thistle as a noxious weed species.
Nutgrass Cyperus rotundus Listed Invasive California lists Nutgrass as a noxious weed species.
Onionweed Asphodelus fistulosus Listed Invasive California lists Onionweed as a noxious weed species.
Orangeberry Nightshade Solanum lanceolatum Listed California lists Orangeberry Nightshade as a noxious weed species.
Ovate Goatgrass Aegilops geniculata Listed California lists Ovate Goatgrass as a noxious weed species.
Oxford Ragwort Senecio squalidus Listed Invasive California lists Oxford Ragwort as a noxious weed species.
Oxygen-Weed Lagarosiphon major Listed California lists Oxygen-Weed as a noxious weed species.
Pale Biddy-Biddy Acaena pallida Listed California lists Pale Biddy-Biddy as a noxious weed species.
Paradox Acacia Acacia paradoxa Listed Invasive California lists Paradox Acacia as a noxious weed species.
Peruvian Primrose-Willow Ludwigia peruviana Listed Invasive California lists Peruvian Primrose-Willow as a noxious weed species.
Plume Grass Saccharum ravennae (Erianthus ravennae) Listed California lists Plume Grass as a noxious weed species.
Prickly Comfrey Symphytum asperum Listed Invasive California lists Prickly Comfrey as a noxious weed species.
Prickly Russian Thistle Salsola tragus Listed Invasive California lists Prickly Russian Thistle as a noxious weed species.
Professor-Weed Galega officinalis Listed Invasive California lists Professor-Weed as a noxious weed species.
Puncturevine Tribulus terrestris Listed Invasive California lists Puncturevine as a noxious weed species.
Purple African Nightshade Solanum marginatum Listed California lists Purple African Nightshade as a noxious weed species.
Purple Loosestrife Lythrum salicaria Listed Invasive California lists Purple Loosestrife as a noxious weed species.Plant instead: Showy Milkweed, Desert Ceanothus, Desert Sweet
Purple Pampas Grass Cortaderia jubata Listed Invasive California lists Purple Pampas Grass as a noxious weed species.
Quackgrass Elymus repens Listed Invasive California lists Quackgrass as a noxious weed species.
Red Star-Thistle Centaurea calcitrapa Listed Invasive California lists Red Star-Thistle as a noxious weed species.
Rush Skeletonweed Chondrilla juncea Listed Invasive California lists Rush Skeletonweed as a noxious weed species.
Saltcedar Tamarix ramosissima Listed Invasive California lists Saltcedar as a noxious weed species.
Saltlover Halogeton glomeratus Listed Invasive California lists Saltlover as a noxious weed species.
Saltmeadow Cordgrass US native Spartina patens Listed California lists Saltmeadow Cordgrass as a noxious weed species.
Santa Maria Feverfew Parthenium hysterophorus Listed Invasive California lists Santa Maria Feverfew as a noxious weed species.
Scarlet Wisteria Tree Sesbania punicea (Sesbania tripetii) Listed Invasive California lists Scarlet Wisteria Tree as a noxious weed species.
Scotch Broom Cytisus scoparius Listed Invasive California lists Scotch Broom as a noxious weed species.Plant instead: Desert Ceanothus, Desert Sweet, Blackbrush
Serrate Spurge Euphorbia serrata Listed California lists Serrate Spurge as a noxious weed species.
Sessile Joyweed Alternanthera sessilis Listed Invasive California lists Sessile Joyweed as a noxious weed species.
Shortbristled Needlegrass Achnatherum brachychaetum Listed California lists Shortbristled Needlegrass as a noxious weed species.
Shrubby Russian Thistle Salsola vermiculata Listed California lists Shrubby Russian Thistle as a noxious weed species.
Silverleaf Nightshade US native Solanum elaeagnifolium Listed California lists Silverleaf Nightshade as a noxious weed species.
Slender False Brome Brachypodium sylvaticum Listed Invasive California lists Slender False Brome as a noxious weed species.
Slender False Garlic Nothoscordum gracile Listed California lists Slender False Garlic as a noxious weed species.
Slender Russian Thistle Salsola collina Listed California lists Slender Russian Thistle as a noxious weed species.
Smallflower Tamarisk Tamarix parviflora Listed Invasive California lists Smallflower Tamarisk as a noxious weed species.
Southern Sandbur US native Cenchrus echinatus Listed California lists Southern Sandbur as a noxious weed species.
Spanish Broom Spartium junceum Listed Invasive California lists Spanish Broom as a noxious weed species.
Spiny Plumeless Thistle Carduus acanthoides Listed Invasive California lists Spiny Plumeless Thistle as a noxious weed species.
Spotted Knapweed Centaurea stoebe Listed Invasive California lists Spotted Knapweed as a noxious weed species.
Squarrose Knapweed Centaurea virgata subsp. squarrosa Listed California lists Squarrose Knapweed as a noxious weed species.
Star-Mustard Coincya monensis Listed California lists Star-Mustard as a noxious weed species.
Starhair Groundcherry US native Physalis viscosa Listed California lists Starhair Groundcherry as a noxious weed species.
Stinking Willie Senecio jacobaea Listed Invasive California lists Stinking Willie as a noxious weed species.
Stinkwort Dittrichia graveolens Listed Invasive California lists Stinkwort as a noxious weed species.
Sulphur Cinquefoil Potentilla recta Listed Invasive California lists Sulphur Cinquefoil as a noxious weed species.
Sulphur Knapweed Centaurea sulphurea Listed California lists Sulphur Knapweed as a noxious weed species.
Swamp Saltbush Atriplex amnicola Listed California lists Swamp Saltbush as a noxious weed species.
Syrian Beancaper Zygophyllum fabago Listed Invasive California lists Syrian Beancaper as a noxious weed species.
Tanglehead US native Heteropogon contortus Listed California lists Tanglehead as a noxious weed species.
Texas Blueweed US native Helianthus ciliaris Listed California lists Texas Blueweed as a noxious weed species.
Tree of Heaven Ailanthus altissima Listed Invasive California lists Tree of Heaven as a noxious weed species.Plant instead: Pinyon Pine, Single Leaf Pinyon Pine, Arizona Ash
Tree Spurge Euphorbia dendroides Listed California lists Tree Spurge as a noxious weed species.
Virginia Buttonweed US native Diodia virginiana Listed California lists Virginia Buttonweed as a noxious weed species.
Virginia Groundcherry US native Physalis virginiana Listed California lists Virginia Groundcherry as a noxious weed species.
Wand Sage Salvia virgata Listed California lists Wand Sage as a noxious weed species.
Watersprite US native Ceratopteris thalictroides Listed California lists Watersprite as a noxious weed species.
Waterthyme Hydrilla verticillata Listed Invasive California lists Waterthyme as a noxious weed species.Plant instead: Star Sedge, Geyer's Sedge, Inland Sedge
Wavyleaf Beeblossom US native Oenothera sinuosa Listed California lists Wavyleaf Beeblossom as a noxious weed species.
Wavyleaf Thistle US native Cirsium undulatum Listed California lists Wavyleaf Thistle as a noxious weed species.
West Indian Spongeplant Limnobium laevigatum Listed California lists West Indian Spongeplant as a noxious weed species.
Western Horsenettle US native Solanum dimidiatum Listed California lists Western Horsenettle as a noxious weed species.
White Bladderflower Araujia sericifera Listed Invasive California lists White Bladderflower as a noxious weed species.
Whitesnow US native Drymaria cordata Listed Invasive California lists Whitesnow as a noxious weed species.
Whitestem Distaff Thistle Carthamus leucocaulos Listed California lists Whitestem Distaff Thistle as a noxious weed species.
Wild Garlic Allium vineale Listed Invasive California lists Wild Garlic as a noxious weed species.
Winged Plumeless Thistle Carduus tenuiflorus Listed California lists Winged Plumeless Thistle as a noxious weed species.
Wingleaf Primrose-Willow US native Ludwigia decurrens Listed California lists Wingleaf Primrose-Willow as a noxious weed species.
Woolly Distaff Thistle Carthamus lanatus subsp. creticus Listed California lists Woolly Distaff Thistle as a noxious weed species.
Woolly Distaff Thistle Carthamus lanatus Listed Invasive California lists Woolly Distaff Thistle as a noxious weed species.
Yellow Floatingheart Nymphoides peltata Listed Invasive California lists Yellow Floatingheart as a noxious weed species.Plant instead: Yerba Mansa, Wavyleaf Indian Paintbrush, Harsh Indian Paintbrush
Yellow Nutsedge Cyperus esculentus Listed California lists Yellow Nutsedge as a noxious weed species.
Yellow Star-Thistle Centaurea solstitialis Listed Invasive California lists Yellow Star-Thistle as a noxious weed species.
Yellow Waterlily US native Nymphaea mexicana Listed California lists Yellow Waterlily as a noxious weed species.
Yellowspine Thistle US native Cirsium ochrocentrum Listed California lists Yellowspine Thistle as a noxious weed species.

What the tags mean

Prohibited Restricted Listed

A legal status. California names the plant in statute. Under a nursery rule that means it may not be sold, propagated, or moved; under an agricultural weed law it means landowners must control it. The cited rule says which, in California’s own words, in the last column.

Invasive

An ecological finding, and a different question from the law. GRIIS — the Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species — lists the plant as invasive in the United States. Most invasive plants carry no state listing at all and are sold freely, so a plant without this tag is not thereby safe, and a plant without a legal chip is not thereby harmless.

Where this comes from

California listings
Cal. Code Regs. tit. 3, 4500. Read the rule.
Invasive status
GRIIS, the Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species, via GBIF. A scientific register with no legal force; it is cited separately from the statute above because the two disagree far more often than they agree.
Status wording
Each determination is written as a sentence, with California’s own term for the plant reproduced verbatim inside it. The Prohibited / Restricted / Listed chips are Ezina’s normalisation across 42 states and are not the legal term.
Nativity
USDA PLANTS county distribution layer, surfaced through the county checker.

Regulated next door, but not in California

Plants that two or more states bordering California regulate, and California does not. A listing is a legal act rather than an ecological one, so a plant can be a documented problem here and still be sold here.

Questions

What plants are illegal to sell in California?

California's list is an agricultural noxious-weed law, which governs control and spread on farmland and rights of way rather than what a nursery may sell. 162 plants are named under Cal. Code Regs. tit. 3, 4500. A noxious-weed listing does not automatically ban nursery sale, so check the rule itself before assuming a plant cannot be bought or sold.

Is my plant invasive in California?

Search the table on this page, or enter the plant's name in Ezina's checker to get its California status alongside whether USDA records it as native to your specific county. Every answer links the record it came from.

Does a plant missing from this list mean it is safe to plant in California?

No. This page reproduces what California regulates, and a state list is a legal instrument rather than an ecological verdict. Plenty of plants spread aggressively without ever being listed, and states add species years after the problem is documented.

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