California Invasive Plant Inventory Database

Before looking at this database, please read the information on the Invasive Plant Inventory, including how plants were listed and what the ratings mean.

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Filter plants by region:
Selecting a floristic province will show only plants found in all regions of that province, not those found in only one or a few regions. Select an individual region to see all plants found there.

• CA Floristic Province (CA-FP)
  • Cascade Range (CaR)
  • Central West (CW)
  • Great Valley (GV)
  • Northwest (NW)
  • Sierra Nevada (SN)
  • Southwest (SW)

• Great Basin Province (GB)
  • Modoc Plateau (MP)
  • Sierra Nevada East (SNE)
• Desert Province (D)
  • Mojave Desert (Dmoj)
  • Sonoran Desert (DSon)

• Plants invasive in all provinces (All CA)

     > See map of regions

     > See abbreviation and scores key

     > Read how the Inventory was compiled.

Click on column heading to sort the table. Click on the scientific name for the Plant Assessment Form, or the icon for the Plant Profile. You can also download a tab-delimited file of this data which can be imported into Microsoft Excel or other programs.

Scientific Name	Common Name	Rating	Alert	Imp.	Inv.	Dis.	Doc.	Regions	Habitats of Concern and Comments
Alhagi maurorum	camelthorn	2Moderate		B	B	B	3.2	·GV ·SW ·SNE ·D	Grassland, meadows, riparian and desert scrub, Sonoran thorn woodland. Very invasive in southwestern states. Limited distribution in CA.
Arundo donax	giant reed	1High		A	B	A	2.8	·CW ·GV ·NW ·SN ·SW ·D	Riparian areas, commercially grown for musical instrument reeds, structural material, etc.
Atriplex semibaccata	Australian saltbush	2Moderate		B	B	B	2.9	·All CA	Coastal grasslands, scrub, upper salt marsh. Limited distribution, but can be very invasive regionally.
Avena barbata	slender wild oat	2Moderate		B	B	A	3.5	·MP ·D	Coastal scrub, grasslands, oak woodland, forest. Very widespread, but impacts more severe in desert regions.
Avena fatua	wild oat	2Moderate		B	B	A	3.2	·MP ·D	Coastal scrub, chaparral, grasslands, woodland, forest. Very widespread, but impacts more severe in desert regions.
Bassia hyssopifolia	fivehook bassia	3Limited		C	C	B	2.7	·All CA	Alkaline habitats. Weed of agriculture or disturbed sites. Impacts minor in wildlands.
Brassica tournefortii	Saharan mustard, African mustard	1High		A	A	B	2.3	·SW ·D	Desert dunes, desert and coastal scrub
Bromus diandrus	ripgut brome	2Moderate		B	B	A	3.3	·All CA	Dunes, scrub, grassland, woodland, forest. Very widespread, but monotypic stands uncommon.
Bromus hordeaceus	soft brome	3Limited		B	C	A	2.8	·All CA	Grasslands, sagebrush, serpentine soils, many other habitats. Very widespread, but primarily in converted annual grasslands.
Bromus japonicus	Japanese brome, Japanese chess	3Limited		B	C	B	2.6	·CA-FP ·GB ·D	Great Basin grassland, valley and foothill grassland, pinon and juniper woodland, lower montane coniferous forest
Bromus madritensis ssp. rubens	red brome	1High		A	B	A	3.0	·All CA	Scrub, grassland, desert washes, woodlands
Bromus tectorum	downy brome, cheatgrass	1High		A	B	A	3.1	·SW ·D	Interior scrub, woodlands, grasslands, pinon/Joshua tree woodland, chaparral.
Carduus pycnocephalus	Italian thistle	2Moderate		B	B	A	2.9	·CW ·GV ·NW ·SN ·SW ·DMoj	Forest, scrub, grasslands, woodland. Very widespread. Impacts may be variable regionally.
Centaurea melitensis	Malta starthistle, tocalote	2Moderate		B	B	B	2.6	·CaR ·NW ·SN ·D	Grasslands, oak woodland; sometimes misidentified as C. solstitialis. Impacts vary regionally.
Cirsium arvense	Canada thistle	2Moderate		B	B	B	2.8	·CA-FP ·DMoj	Grasslands, riparian areas, forests. Severe impacts in other western states. Limited distribution in CA.
Convolvulus arvensis	field bindweed	4Eval No List		C	B	B	3.5	·All CA	Only known as agricultural weed
Cortaderia selloana	pampasgrass	1High		A	A	B	3.2	·CaR ·CW ·NW ·SN ·SW ·DMoj	Coastal dunes, coastal scrub, Monterey pine, riparian, grasslands, wetlands, serpentine soils. Still spreading both coastal and inland.
Cynodon dactylon	bermudagrass	2Moderate		B	B	B	3.3	·CA-FP ·D	Riparian scrub in southern CA. Common landscape weed, but can be very invasive in desert washes.
Daucus carota	wild carrot, Queen Anne's lace	4Eval No List		D	C	B	2.7	·All CA	Very widespread, but primarily in disturbed sites, particularly roadsides
Descurainia sophia	flixweed, tansy mustard	3Limited		C	B	B	1.9	·All CA	Scrub, grassland, woodland. Impacts appear to be minor, but locally more invasive in NE CA.
Elaeagnus angustifolia	Russian-olive	2Moderate		B	A	B	3.3	·CW ·GV ·SW ·SNE ·DMoj	Interior riparian. Impacts more severe in other western states. Current distribution limited in CA.
Erodium cicutarium	redstem filaree	3Limited		C	C	A	3.1	·All CA	Many habitats. Widespread. Impacts minor in wildlands. High-density populations transient.
Halogeton glomeratus	halogeton	2Moderate		B	A	B	3.0	·CaR ·SW ·GB ·DMoj	Scrub, grasslands, pinyon-juniper woodland. Larger problem in NV. Monotypic stands are rare.
Hirschfeldia incana	shortpod mustard, summer mustard	2Moderate		B	B	A	1.9	·CW ·GV ·NW ·SN ·SW ·DMoj	Scrub, grasslands, riparian areas. Impacts not well understood, but appear to be greater in southern CA.
Holcus lanatus	common velvet grass	2Moderate		B	B	A	2.9	·CA-FP ·GB ·DMoj	Coastal grasslands, wetlands. Impacts can be more severe locally, especially in wetland areas.
Hordeum marinum, H. murinum	Mediterranean barley, hare barley, wall barley	2Moderate		B	B	A	2.8	·All CA	Grasslands; H. marinum invades drier habitats, while H. murinum invades wetlands. Widespread, but generally do not form dominant stands.
Hydrilla verticillata	hydrilla	1High	Alert	A	B	C	3.2	·GV ·NW ·SN ·SW ·D	Freshwater aquatic systems. The most important submerged aquatic invasive in southern states.
Kochia scoparia	kochia	2Moderate		B	C	B	3.2	·CW ·GV ·SW ·GB ·D	Scrub, chaparral, grasslands
Lactuca serriola	prickly lettuce	4Eval No List		D	B	B	3.1	·All CA	Primarily an agricultural and roadside weed
Lepidium latifolium	perennial pepperweed, tall whitetop	1High		A	A	A	3.1	·CA-FP ·GB ·DMoj	Coastal and inland marshes, riparian areas, wetlands, grasslands; potential to invade montane wetlands.
Ludwigia peploides ssp. montevidensis	creeping water-primrose	1High		A	B	B	2.5	·CW ·GV ·NW ·SN ·SW ·DMoj	Freshwater aquatic systems. Clarification needed on taxonomic identification.
Marrubium vulgare	white horehound	3Limited		C	C	B	2.8	·CA-FP ·DMoj	Grasslands scrub, riparian areas. Widespread. Rarely in dense stands. Impacts relatively minor.
Myosotis latifolia	common forget-me-not	3Limited		C	B	B	2.2	·CA-FP ·DMoj	Coniferous forest, riparian. Little information on impacts.
Nicotiana glauca	tree tobacco	2Moderate		B	B	B	2.5	·GV ·NW ·SN ·SW ·D	Coastal scrub, grasslands, riparian woodland. Abiotic impacts unknown. Impacts vary locally. Rarely in dense stands.
Oxalis corniculata	creeping woodsorrel	4Eval No List		D	C	C	2.2	·All CA	Primarily a turf weed in CA
Pennisetum setaceum	crimson fountaingrass	2Moderate		B	B	B	2.9	·CW ·GV ·SW ·D	Coastal dunes and scrub, chaparral, grasslands. Some horticultural cultivars sterile. Very invasive in Hawaii.
Phalaris aquatica	hardinggrass	2Moderate		B	B	B	2.6	·CW ·NW ·SN ·SW ·DMoj	Coastal sites, especially moist soils. Limited distribution. Can be highly invasive locally.
Phragmites australis	common reed	5Native		B	B	B	2.5	·All CA	Genetic issues make it unclear which strains are native to CA.
Poa pratensis	Kentucky bluegrass	3Limited		C	B	B	2.7	·All CA	Grasslands scrub, riparian areas. Widespread turf plant. Abiotic impacts unknown.
Polypogon monspeliensis and subspp.	rabbitfoot polypogon, annual beardgrass	3Limited		C	C	B	2.3	·All CA	Margins of ponds and streams, seasonally wet places, edge of coastal dunes. Widespread. Impacts appear to be minor.
Potamogeton crispus	curlyleaf pondweed	2Moderate		B	B	B	3.2	·CW ·GV ·NW ·SW ·DMoj	Freshwater aquatic systems. Can be very invasive locally.
Ricinus communis	castorbean	3Limited		C	B	B	2.5	·CaR ·CW ·GV ·SN ·SW ·DMoj	Coastal scrub and prairie, riparian areas. Widespread in southern CA. Impacts locally variable.
Rumex crispus	curly dock	3Limited		C	C	A	2.7	·All CA	Grasslands, vernal pool, meadows, riparian. Widespread. Impacts appear to be minor.
Salsola paulsenii	barbwire Russian-thistle	3Limited		C	C	C	2.9	·SW ·SNE ·D	Desert and Great Basin scrub. Limited distribution. Impacts in desert appear to be minor.
Salsola tragus	Russian-thistle	3Limited		C	B	B	2.8	·All CA	Desert dunes and scrub, alkali playa. Widespread. Impacts minor in wildlands.
Solanum elaeagnifolium	silverleaf nightshade	4Eval No List		D	B	C	2.8	·CA-FP ·D	Primarily agricultural weed, but escaping to wildlands in other countries. May prove to be more important in future.
Sonchus asper	spiny sowthistle	4Eval No List		D	B	B	3.1	·All CA	Primarily an agricultural weed
Spartium junceum	Spanish broom	1High		A	B	B	3.2	·CA-FP ·DMoj	Coastal scrub, grasslands, wetlands, oak woodland, forests
Tamarix parviflora	smallflower tamarisk	1High		A	A	B	3.1	·CaR ·CW ·GV ·SN ·SW ·SNE ·DMoj	Riparian areas, desert washes, coastal scrub
Tamarix ramosissima	saltcedar, tamarisk	1High		A	A	A	3.3	·CW ·GV ·NW ·SN ·SW ·SNE ·D	Desert washes, riparian areas, seeps and springs
Ulmus pumila	Siberian elm	4Eval No List		D	B	B	2.5	·GV ·SN ·DMoj	Impacts unknown
Vinca major	big periwinkle	2Moderate		B	B	B	2.8	·CA-FP ·DMoj	Riparian, oak woodlands, coastal scrub. Distribution currently limited but spreading in riparian areas. Impacts can be higher locally.
Vulpia myuros	rattail fescue	2Moderate		B	B	A	3.0	·CA-FP ·D	Coastal sage scrub, chaparral. Widespread. Rarely forms monotypic stands, but locally problematic

Nomenclature:

Scientific names are based on The Jepson Manual.
For each species, the first common name is based on the Weed Science Society of America's "Composite List of Weeds", followed by other names used in California.

Citation:

Cal-IPC. 2006. California Invasive Plant Inventory. Cal-IPC Publication 2006-02. California Invasive Plant Council: Berkeley, CA.