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

Invasive plants regulated in New Mexico

New Mexico lists 36 plants as noxious weeds under New Mexico Noxious Weed List (June 2020 memo), NMSA 1978 76-7D-1 et seq.. The table below reproduces that list in full, showing each plant's status in the state's own words. New Mexico'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].

Want the answer for one plant, at your address?

Check a plant against your county →

Regulated and invasive are two different findings, and this page shows them separately. 34 of the 36 plants below carry both: New Mexico names them in statute and GRIIS lists them as invasive in the United States. The other 2 are regulated by New Mexico 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 New Mexico’s determination
Black Henbane Hyoscyamus niger Listed Invasive New Mexico lists Black Henbane under “Class A.”
Broadleaved Pepperweed Lepidium latifolium Listed Invasive New Mexico lists Broadleaved Pepperweed under “Class B.”
Bull Thistle Cirsium vulgare Listed Invasive New Mexico lists Bull Thistle under “Class B.”
Butter and Eggs Linaria vulgaris Listed Invasive New Mexico lists Butter and Eggs under “Class A.”
Canada Thistle Cirsium arvense Listed Invasive New Mexico lists Canada Thistle under “Class A.”
Cheatgrass Bromus tectorum Listed Invasive New Mexico lists Cheatgrass under “Class C.”
Chicory Cichorium intybus Listed Invasive New Mexico lists Chicory under “Class B.”
Curly Pondweed Potamogeton crispus Listed Invasive New Mexico lists Curly Pondweed under “Class C.”
Dalmatian Toadflax Linaria dalmatica Listed Invasive New Mexico lists Dalmatian Toadflax under “Class A.”
Diffuse Knapweed Centaurea diffusa Listed Invasive New Mexico lists Diffuse Knapweed under “Class A.”
Dyer's Woad Isatis tinctoria Listed Invasive New Mexico lists Dyer's Woad under “Class A.”
Eurasian Watermilfoil Myriophyllum spicatum Listed Invasive New Mexico lists Eurasian Watermilfoil under “Class C.”
Fuller's Teasel Dipsacus fullonum Listed New Mexico lists Fuller's Teasel under “Class B.”
Giant Reed Arundo donax Listed Invasive New Mexico lists Giant Reed under “Class C.”
Harmal Peganum Peganum harmala Listed Invasive New Mexico lists Harmal Peganum under “Class B.”
Jointed Goatgrass Aegilops cylindrica Listed Invasive New Mexico lists Jointed Goatgrass under “Class C.”
Kariba-Weed Salvinia molesta Listed Invasive New Mexico lists Kariba-Weed under “Class A.”
Leafy Spurge Euphorbia esula Listed Invasive New Mexico lists Leafy Spurge under “Class A.”
Maltese Star-Thistle Centaurea melitensis Listed Invasive New Mexico lists Maltese Star-Thistle under “Class B.”
Nodding Plumeless Thistle Carduus nutans Listed Invasive New Mexico lists Nodding Plumeless Thistle under “Class C.”
Oxeye Daisy Leucanthemum vulgare Listed Invasive New Mexico lists Oxeye Daisy under “Class A.”
Parrot Feather Watermilfoil Myriophyllum aquaticum Listed Invasive New Mexico lists Parrot Feather Watermilfoil under “Class C.”Plant instead: Yerba Mansa, Douglas' Sedge, Little Green Sedge
Plume Grass Saccharum ravennae (Erianthus ravennae) Listed New Mexico lists Plume Grass under “Class A.”
Poison Hemlock Conium maculatum Listed Invasive New Mexico lists Poison Hemlock under “Class B.”
Purple Loosestrife Lythrum salicaria Listed Invasive New Mexico lists Purple Loosestrife under “Class A.”Plant instead: Showy Milkweed, Colorado Barberry, Desert Ceanothus
Quackgrass Elymus repens Listed Invasive New Mexico lists Quackgrass under “Class B.”
Red Star-Thistle Centaurea calcitrapa Listed Invasive New Mexico lists Red Star-Thistle under “Class A.”
Russian Olive Elaeagnus angustifolia Listed Invasive New Mexico lists Russian Olive under “Class C.”Plant instead: Little Walnut, Western Soapberry, Cerro Hawthorn
Saltlover Halogeton glomeratus Listed Invasive New Mexico lists Saltlover under “Class B.”
Scentless False Mayweed Tripleurospermum perforatum Listed Invasive New Mexico lists Scentless False Mayweed under “Class A.”
Scotch Cottonthistle Onopordum acanthium Listed Invasive New Mexico lists Scotch Cottonthistle under “Class A.”
Siberian Elm Ulmus pumila Listed Invasive New Mexico lists Siberian Elm under “Class C.”Plant instead: Arizona Walnut, Pinyon Pine, Single Leaf Pinyon Pine
Spiny Cocklebur Xanthium spinosum Listed Invasive New Mexico lists Spiny Cocklebur under “Class B.”
Spotted Knapweed Centaurea stoebe subsp. micranthos Listed Invasive New Mexico lists Spotted Knapweed under “Class A.”
Tree of Heaven Ailanthus altissima Listed Invasive New Mexico lists Tree of Heaven under “Class C.”Plant instead: Arizona Walnut, Pinyon Pine, Single Leaf Pinyon Pine
Yellow Star-Thistle Centaurea solstitialis Listed Invasive New Mexico lists Yellow Star-Thistle under “Class A.”

What the tags mean

Prohibited Restricted Listed

A legal status. New Mexico 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 New Mexico’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

New Mexico listings
New Mexico Noxious Weed List (June 2020 memo), NMSA 1978 76-7D-1 et seq.. 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 New Mexico’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 New Mexico

Plants that two or more states bordering New Mexico regulate, and New Mexico 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 New Mexico?

New Mexico'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. 36 plants are named under New Mexico Noxious Weed List (June 2020 memo), NMSA 1978 76-7D-1 et seq.. 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 New Mexico?

Search the table on this page, or enter the plant's name in Ezina's checker to get its New Mexico 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 New Mexico?

No. This page reproduces what New Mexico 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.

Grow natives easily with Ezina

How it works

We provide the tools you need to succeed.

The Ezina app identifying a plant: a live camera view framing pink coneflowers, with Plant, Disease/Insect, and Both scan modes.
010.1Identify

Add a plant

Snap a photo or type the name. The app pulls 4,000+ species from peer-reviewed horticulture data and starts a care plan tailored to your zone, the local weather, and the time of year.

The Ezina app’s care screen: water needs showing status Okay, last watered 12 days ago, a suggested volume, and a treatment section.
010.2Care

Get a care plan

A schedule built from local rain, temperature, and sun, not a fixed weekly cadence. You get a single notification when a plant actually needs water. Easily add treatments for diseases and pests.

The Ezina Dig planner: a starting-plan site map with suggested garden beds you can draw with your finger.
010.3Plan

Explore new options

Our garden planner Dig helps you understand what works best for your location and makes suggestions based off your long term goals.

Add a plant

Snap a photo or type the name. The app pulls 4,000+ species from peer-reviewed horticulture data and starts a care plan tailored to your zone, the local weather, and the time of year.

Get Ezina for your garden Explore Ezina

Compiled from peer-reviewed research, USDA documentation,
and direct scientific observation across the 48 contiguous states.

Leave a forwarding address
To be read on:Read on: