PlantLegitCalifornia: invasive & noxious plant laws
CDFA designates noxious weeds in 3 CCR § 4500 (Food & Agricultural Code § 5004). CDFA also assigns each pest a rating (A, B, C, Q) that controls what action is taken; see the CDFA Encycloweedia for ratings.
Official sources
- 3 CCR § 4500 Noxious weed species
- CDFA Encycloweedia (weed ratings)
- Federal Noxious Weed List, 7 CFR § 360.200 (USDA APHIS) — applies in every state
Noxious weed (3 CCR § 4500) (176)
| Scientific name | Common name / notes |
|---|---|
| Acacia paradoxa | Kangaroo thorn |
| Acaena anserinifolia | biddy biddy |
| Acaena novae-zelandiae | biddy biddy |
| Acaena pallida | biddy biddy |
| Acroptilon repens (=Rhaponticum r.) | Russian knapweed |
| Aegilops cylindrica | jointed goatgrass |
| Aegilops ovata | ovate goatgrass |
| Aegilops triuncialis | barb goatgrass |
| Aeschynomene spp. | joint-vetch |
| Alhagi maurorum | camelthorn |
| Ailanthus altissima | tree of heaven |
| Allium paniculatum | panicled onion |
| Allium vineale | wild garlic |
| Alternanthera philoxeroides | alligatorweed |
| Alternanthera sessilis | sessile joyweed |
| Ambrosia trifida | giant ragweed |
| Araujia sericifera | bladderflower |
| Arctotheca calendula | capeweed, as seed or fertile plants |
| Arundo donax | giant reed |
| Asphodelus fistulosus | onionweed |
| Atriplex amnicola | swamp saltbush |
| Berteroa incana | hoary alyssum |
| Brachypodium sylvaticum | slender false-brome |
| Cabomba caroliniana | Carolina fanwort |
| Carduus acanthoides | plumeless thistle |
| Carduus crispus | curly plumeless thistle |
| Carduus nutans | musk thistle |
| Carduus pycnocephalus | slender-flowered thistle |
| Carduus tenuiflorus | Italian thistle |
| Carthamus baeticus | smooth distaff thistle |
| Carthamus lanatus | woolly distaff thistle |
| Carthamus leucocaulos | whitestem distaff thistle |
| Cenchrus echinatus | southern sandbur |
| Cenchrus incertus | coast sandbur |
| Cenchrus longispinus | mat sandbur |
| Centaurea calcitrapa | purple starthistle |
| Centaurea diffusa | diffuse knapweed |
| Centaurea iberica | Iberian starthistle |
| Centaurea jacea s.l. | including C. pratensis , C. nigra , and C. nigrescens |
| Centaurea melitensis | tocalote |
| Centaurea solstitialis | yellow starthistle |
| Centaurea squarrosa | squarrose knapweed |
| Centaurea stoebe ( =C. maculosa ) | spotted knapweed |
| Centaurea sulphurea | Sicilian starthistle |
| Ceratopteris thalictroides | watersprite |
| Chondrilla juncea | skeletonweed |
| Chorispora tenella | purple mustard |
| Cirsium arvense | Canada thistle |
| Cirsium japonicum | Japanese thistle |
| Cirsium ochrocentrum | yellowspine thistle |
| Cirsium undulatum | wavyleaf thistle |
| Cirsium vulgare | bull thistle |
| Coincya monensis | star-mustard |
| Convolvulus arvensis | field bindweed |
| Cortaderia jubata | jubata grass |
| Crupina vulgaris | bearded creeper |
| Cucumis melo var. dudaim | dudaim melon |
| Cucumis myriocarpus | paddy melon |
| Cuscuta spp. | dodder |
| Cynara cardunculus | artichoke thistle |
| Cyperus esculentus | yellow nutsedge |
| Cyperus rotundus | purple nutsedge |
| Cytisus scoparius | Scotch broom |
| Diodia virginiana | buttonweed |
| Dittrichia graveolens | stinkweed |
| Drymaria cordata | whitesnow, tropical chickweed |
| Egeria najas | anacharis |
| Elymus repens (=Elytrigia repens) | quackgrass |
| Euphorbia esula | leafy spurge |
| Euphorbia graminea | grassleaf spurge |
| Euphorbia dendroides | tree spurge |
| Euphorbia oblongata | oblong spurge |
| Euphorbia serrata | serrate spurge |
| Euphorbia terracina | carnation spurge |
| Fallopia x bohemica (=Reynoutria x bohemica; Polygonum x bohemica) | Bohemian knotweed |
| Fallopia japonica (=Polygonum cuspidatum; Reynoutria j.) | Japanese knotweed |
| Fallopia sachalinensis (=Polygonum s.; Reynoutria s.) | giant knotweed |
| Fatoua villosa | hairy crabweed |
| Galega officinalis | Goatsrue |
| Genista monspessulana | French broom |
| Halimodendron halodendron | Russian salt tree |
| Halogeton glomeratus | halogeton |
| Helianthus ciliaris | blueweed |
| Heteropogon contortus | tanglehead |
| Hydrilla verticillata | hydrilla |
| Hydrocharis morsus-ranae | Frogbit |
| Hygrophila polysperma | Indian swampweed |
| Hyoscyamus niger | black henbane |
| Hypericum canariense | Canary Island St. Johnswort |
| Hypericum perforatum | Klamath weed |
| Isatis tinctoria | dyer's woad |
| Lagarosiphon major | oxygen weed, African elodea |
| Lepidium appellanum (=Cardaria appellanum) | globe-podded hoary cress |
| Lepidium chalepensis (=Cardaria chalepensis) | lens-podded hoary cress |
| Lepidium coronopus (=Coronopus squamatus) | swinecress |
| Lepidium draba (=Cardaria draba) | heart-podded hoary cress |
| Lepidium latifolium | perennial peppercress |
| Leptochloa chinensis (=Dinebra c.) | Chinese sprangletop |
| Limnobium laevigatum | South American spongeplant |
| Limnobium spongia | American spongeplant, American frog's-bit |
| Limnophila indica | Indian marshweed |
| Limnophila sessiliflora | Asian marshweed |
| Linaria dalmatica | Dalmatian toadflax |
| Ludwigia decurrens | winged water-primrose |
| Ludwigia hexapetala | water-primrose |
| Ludwigia peruviana | Peruvian primrose-willow |
| Lythrum salicaria | purple loosestrife |
| Mercurialis ambigua | Spanish mercury |
| Muhlenbergia schreberi | nimblewill |
| Myosoton aquaticum | giant chickweed |
| Nothoscordum gracile | false garlic |
| Nymphaea mexicana | banana waterlily |
| Nymphoides peltata | yellow floating heart |
| Oenothera xenogaura (=Gaura drummondii) | Drummond's gaura |
| Oenothera sinuosa (=Gaura sinuata) | wavyleaf gaura |
| Ononis alopecuroides | foxtail restharrow |
| Onopordum spp. | including Scotch thistle, Illyrian thistle and Taurian thistle |
| Orobanche ramosa | branched broomrape |
| Oryza rufipogon | red rice |
| Panicum antidotale | blue panicgrass |
| Parthenium hysterophorus | Santa Maria feverfew |
| Peganum harmala | harmel |
| Persicaria wallichii (=P. polystachyum; Rubrivena polystachya) | Himalayan knotweed |
| Pennisetum clandestinum | Kikuyugrass |
| Physalis virginiana var. sonorae | smooth groundcherry |
| Physalis viscosa | grape groundcherry |
| Potentilla recta | sulphur cinquefoil |
| Prosopis strombulifera | creeping mesquite |
| Retama monosperma | bridal veil broom |
| Rhagadiolus stellatus | star endive |
| Rorippa austriaca | Austrian fieldcress |
| Rorippa sylvestris | creeping yellowcress |
| Saccharum ravennae (= Tripidium r. ) | ravennagrass |
| Salsola tragus | common Russianthistle |
| Salsola collina | spineless Russian thistle |
| Salsola damascena (=S. vermiculata) | wormleaf salsola |
| Salsola paulsenii | barbwire Russianthistle |
| Salvia aethiopis | Mediterranean sage |
| Salvia virgata | meadow sage |
| Salvinia auriculata s.l. | giant salvinia |
| Scolymus hispanicus | golden thistle |
| Senecio jacobaea (=Jacobaea vulgaris) | tansy ragwort |
| Senecio linearifolius | fireweed groundsel |
| Senecio squalidus | Oxford ragwort |
| Sesbania punicea | red sesbania, rattlebox |
| Setaria faberi | giant foxtail |
| Solanum cardiophyllum | heartleaf nightshade |
| Solanum carolinense | Carolina horsenettle |
| Solanum dimidiatum | Torrey's nightshade |
| Solanum elaeagnifolium | white horsenettle |
| Solanum lanceolatum | lanceleaf nightshade |
| Solanum marginatum | white-margined nightshade |
| Sonchus arvensis | perennial sowthistle |
| Sorghum halepense | Johnsongrass and other perennial Sorghum spp. including but not limited to Sorghum almum and perennial sweet sudangrass |
| Spartina alterniflora and hybrids | smooth cordgrass and hybrids |
| Spartina anglica | common cordgrass |
| Spartina densiflora | dense-flowered cordgrass |
| Spartina patens | saltmeadow cord grass |
| Spartium junceum | Spanish broom |
| Sphaerophysa salsula | Austrian peaweed |
| Stipa brachychaeta (=Achnatherum b.; Amelichloa b.) | punagrass |
| Striga lutea | witchweed |
| Symphytum asperum | rough comfrey |
| Taeniatherum caput-medusae | medusahead |
| Tagetes minuta | wild marigold |
| Tamarix chinensis | salt cedar |
| Tamarix gallica | salt cedar |
| Tamarix parviflora | salt cedar |
| Tamarix ramosissima | salt cedar |
| Tribolium obliterum | Capegrass |
| Tribulus terrestris | puncture vine |
| Ulex europaeus | gorse |
| Viscum album | European mistletoe |
| Volutaria tubuliflora | desert knapweed |
| Zostera japonica | dwarf eelgrass |
| Zygophyllum fabago | Syrian beancaper |
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Informational only, not legal advice. Lists change; always check the official source linked above before you buy, sell, plant or move a plant. Lists checked 2026-10-14.