It’s a tree / shrub that can end up being around 13 feet tall. This plant might just constitute the single most-destructive species introduction in California history. It has feather-like leaves that form in circles around its stems. Invasive plants tend to out-compete California’s native flora for resources such as space, light, water, and nutrients, are sometimes avoided by animals which can … We won't sell or give away your email address. This prevents water in the marshes from flowing inward, meaning that more sediment accumulates. The Invasive Plants program is responsible for extension research and outreach in six southern California Counties (San Diego, Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside, Ventura, and San Bernardino). Invasive Plants and Wildfires in Southern California ANR Publication 8397 2 In all of these areas or habitats, the presence of weedy non-native invasive plants creates an abnormal situation that can influence wildfires. It will also grow back from almost any part of the plant if not fully removed. It’s found in deserts, the San Francisco Bay Area, and even in more remote areas like Shasta. It, like many other noxious weeds, crowds out the native grasses and tends to increase both the amount of forest fires and their size. The eerily-named Creeping Water Primrose is another aquatic plant brought to the US for its ornamental value. ), bromes (Bromus spp. The following 39 plants are the most invasive species in California as ranked by the California Invasive Plants Council.​ They run a ton of tests and studies to come up with their list and I’ve included some of the details below. The Saharan Mustard plant shows up all over the San Joaquin valley and other desert regions in California. The rapid, dense underwater growth reduces water flow, causing stagnation. It’s sold in big box and garden stores because of its beautiful flowers, but tends to grow and reproduce at astonishing rates, leading to millions of dollars per year in plant management fees. Depending on the species, they are appropriate in moderate inland areas of Southern California desert or coastal regions. 2016 Invasive Plants Webinar - Southern California - Duration: 1:00:46. Learn to recognize and control these problem plants. Invasions of nonnative plants into southern forests continue to go unchecked and unmonitored. Although this plant is short-lived (it’s a biennial), it can still infest the northeast areas of California. The Uruguay water-primrose is a noxious weed that invades the water ecosystems in California and many other areas of the western United States. This means that understory plants can’t regenerate as well, destroying forest ecosystems in the state. The cool-named Jubatagrass is a huge grass that shows up in coastal regions of California. ‘Canyon Prince’ is a popular selection that you can try in your Southern California garden. These are the plants we refer to as “Plants to Watch.” We provide more details about these plants, why they aren’t on the plant list, and if there are places in California where this plant should be avoided. Hi, I'm Kevin. It spreads mostly by vegetative methods. It forms dense, pervasive mats that make it hard for native species to thrive. Like the Giant Reed, it contributes to fires as has high biomass and it invades recently burned areas very quickly. It will hybridize with chinensis or gallica, making controlling it even more annoying than other invasive species. Gorse grows almost anywhere. Common Name: Jubatagrass; Pampasgrass; Pink Pampasgrass. This reduces the biodiversity of the area and diminishes wildlife in the area. It has the nasty tendency to convert natural habitats to annual grasslands, especially coastal areas. Of these invasive plants, the majority are biennial or perennials (46%), winter annuals (25%), or woody plants (22%). A single plant can spread over 75,000 seeds! It also has the ability to hybridize with Spartina Foliosa to produce an even more invasive plant. Native plants of California's chaparral are adapted to natural wildfire, re-establishing within a few years after a fire. Introduction. It shows up in many biomes, but the rangelands are hardest-hit. Giant Salvinia looks kind of like floating mushrooms or heads of lettuce. The fluffy plumes at the top will produce 100,000 seeds (or more) that blow away in the wind, making it nearly impossible to control. Clicking on the scientific name will take you to the Plant Profile, where you’ll find links to more information on the plant. Common Name: French Broom; Soft Broom; Canary Broom; Montepellier Broom. Yes, I would like to receive emails from California Invasive Plant Council. Invasive Plants Invasive plants degrade habitat and water quality in Southern California. From the San Francisco bay all the way to Camp Pendleton, this beloved herb can dramatically alter the ecosystem of many areas of our state. Scarlet Wisteria kicks off the first non-aquatic plant on our list. Invasive nonnative plants infest under and beside forest canopies and occupy small forest openings, increasingly eroding forest productivity, hindering forest use and management activities, and degrading diversity and wildlife habitat. Thought to be native to eastern Asia, the Giant Reed was introduced to the US way back in the early 1800’s. On the plus side, almost all Parrotfeather plants are female, so it doesn’t produce seeds. It likes to invade dunes and disturbed areas. Whoever named this plant was probably on something. If that wasn’t enough, it will also kill animals and fish if they’re exposed. Another invasive aquatic plant, hydrilla probably originated in Asia before making its way to California around the 1950s. monilifera. The Inventory categorizes plants that threaten California's natural areas. The Spiked Watermilfoil Is native to practically every continent BUT the Americas, growing submerged in slow-moving water. Common Name: Parrotfeather, Brazilian Watermilfoil, Parrotfeather Watermilfoil, Thread-Of-Life. Although Fennel is best known as a culinary and medicinal herb, there are varieties that aren’t used for culinary purposes that are considered a highly invasive plant in many areas of California. It thrives in disturbed areas and grasslands in northwestern California. In 2011 in Ventura County, while searching for the non-native and invasive brown widow spider, Latrodectus geometricus, a discovery was made of a large brown spider that was not recognized as being part of the southern California spider fauna. While you're here, why not follow us on Facebook and YouTube? Many plants we consider for the list of invasive list meet some but not all of the invasive list criteria. After Invasive plants not only crowd out crops, degrade rangeland, increase the potential for wildfire and flooding, consume valuable water, and degrade recreational opportunities, but they also pose a serious threat to California’s native plant species. I personally can go on a quick canyon run and spot a handful right off of the bat. Relentless Fire & Safety. Epic Gardening occasionally links to goods or services offered by vendors to help you find the best products to care for plants. The Cal-IPC Inventory. While it’s native to South America, it has infested freshwater regions of California. It dominates coastal ranges and the central valley of California. Fire Protection Services. It outperforms native plant species, starving them of the resources they need to survive. The list of native vegetation describes plants that should be thinned as necessary. It’s very hard to control, as it can spread via seed or vegetation. While the Scotch Broom is a pretty shrub, it’s a nasty invader of forest borders, roadsides, and pastures. BLM California Weeds and Invasives Program (link is … It shows up in areas where native grasses have died out, growing into roadsides, fields, or rangelands. As usual, it was introduced to California via the aquarium trade. It’s native to South America, but was transported to North America through ballast water. Its seeds can remain viable for up to 80 years! If we are overzealous in removing naturalized plants which native fauna eat, we are doing harm…so be careful when removing this plant! This paper presents an analysis of the distribution of invasive and noninvasive alien plants in California using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) with Jepson bioregions as the sample unit. Red Brome is mostly found in Southern California, although pockets of it show up throughout the rest of the state. Because of its aquatic nature, it grows extremely fast and crowds out other aquatic plants. It came through the aquarium trade, escaping into local freshwater areas. Common Name: Purple Veldtgrass; African Veldtgrass; Perennial Veldt Grass. It was introduced in landscaping for ornamental reasons. Common Name: Creeping Waterprimrose, Uruguay Waterprimrose. Common Name: Saltcedar; Tamarisk; ; French Tamarisk; Chinese Tamarisk. Description: Golden brown seaweed, growing up to nine feet. The picture above is Tamarix Chinensis, but the true invasive species is Tamarix Ramosissima or Saltcedar. Southern California. Emergency Lighting & Signage; Fire Alarm Inspection It will even survive fires, resprouting and taking advantage of newly-cleared area to propagate. The leaves are both under and above the water, causing the stems to get tangled and form mats. The Yellow Starthistle is worse than our pink friend above, the Spotted Knapweed. PlantRight partners with retail nurseries of all types and sizes to prevent the spread of invasive plants. This is a compilation of invasive plants listed by any of the 13 Southern States and those by federal agencies pertaining to these States as of May 2004. Introduced, Invasive, and Noxious Plants NRCS Invasive Species Policy Invasive Species Executive Order 13112. They only attack the Yellow Starthistle, so are quite effective. Some of these may be affiliate links, meaning we earn a small commission if items are purchased. Commonly called the "fastest-growing plant in the world," a single small water hyacinth -- Eichhornia crassipes-- can grow to cover 6,500 square feet of open water in a single growing season. Bromus Tectorum The Inventory includes plants that currently cause damage in California (invasive plants) as well as "Watch" plants that are a high risk of becoming invasive … Invasive alien plants are invading approximately 700,000 ha year −1 of natural communities in the United States (Pimentel et al., 2002).Invasive alien plants are defined as alien plants that reproduce offspring in very large numbers and at large distances from parent plants and thus have the potential to spread over a considerable area (Richardson et al., 2000). The Invasive Species Program has identified numerous actual and potential invasive species from which we strive to protect California’s wildlands and waterways. Watercraft are the largest vectors for spreading aquatic invasive species (AIS), such as quagga and zebra mussels into new waterways, making boat inspections a vital aspect of protecting Lake Tahoe and other nearby water bodies. The French broom is another plant that looks beautiful, but ends up being invasive in every area it’s introduced except its native region, the Mediterranean. As its name implies, it originates from Northern Africa and the Middle East, but made its way to the Americas and quickly invaded many native regions of California. Following the great comments on my post about invasive species that are sold at garden centers, I wanted to get deeper into invasive species. On top of that, it’s poisonous. This tall grass has broad, bluish blades and grows into a large, handsome clump. Each plant has a score from A – C on the following: Because this is a huge list, you can either scroll through normally or click a plant that you want to learn more about. Cheatgrass is known as “The Invader that Won the West.” It originated in Asia, but came over in the late 1800’s in bushels of contaminated grain. It’s been in California for over two decades, but is growing at an alarming rate, making it a growing concern for plant biologists and conservationists. Click on an accepted name below to view its PLANTS Profile with more information, and web links if available. Common Name: Creeping Waterprimrose; California Waterprimrose. The following list of non-native weeds identifies plants that pose a threat to the natural habitats of Southern California by their distribution or invasiveness, and should be removed whenever they are found. Many of the aquatic invasive plants in California were introduced via the aquarium trade, and the South American spongeplant is no exception. These include wild oats (Avena spp. Each has its own wildlife niche, whether it’s birds, butterflies, hummingbirds, native bees or the plethora of pollinators. The focus was on plants that are considered to be invasive in the state of California by the California Exotic Pest Plant Council (CalEPPC, 1999). That alone makes it an tough weed to manage. In fact, it’s the most serious rangeland weeds in the entire state of California. Most of the time, it’s found in the Central Valley of California. In fact, plants such as Scotch, Spanish Broom, Tree of Heaven, Pampas Grass, Green Fountain Grass, and dozens of plants are all considered invasive plants in California. Browse below to see all plants on the Cal-IPC Inventory, including both invasive plants and “Watch” species. On top of crowding out the native plant species in the grasslands and rangelands it inhabits, it also decreases the amount of forage material for livestock. Common Name: Scotch Broom; English Broom; Common Broom​. There are four species of this plant that have begun to take over the San Francisco bay after being introduced in 1973. It came from Europe but may be more well-known in California as an extremely annoying weed to deal with. Common Name: Hydrilla, Water Thyme, Florida Elodea. Common Name: Sahara Mustard; Morrocan Mustard; Asian Mustard. PlantRight 701 views. Cattle can’t eat it to get rid of it either! 12 Invasive Plants (& Native Plants to Grow Instead) ... Chinese wisteria is a very aggressive grower that has invaded the wilderness of the eastern and southern states. Very hard to control due to a single plant producing over 40,000 seeds. It’s drought resistant, making it perform well in California’s current water crisis. The thickets it creates produce a canopy that limits light to plants growing beneath, killing them off. It shows up in areas where native grasses have died out, growing into roadsides, fields, or rangelands. Regional Advisor - Invasive Plants University of California Cooperative Extension July 1979 – June 2014 35 years. Plants listed include those from the Federal Noxious Weed List as of September 2000, State laws (denoted as Laws), and State exotic pest plant councils (denoted as Lists). ), © 2006-2020 California Invasive Plant Council. Smooth Cordgrass is an interesting invasive plant that grows in salt marshes, bays, and creeks. Site by, Chrysanthemoides monilifera ssp. Native to South America (especially Brazil and Argentina), this aquatic weed invades freshwater areas of California. It was originally used as an ornamental due to its beautiful flower, but quickly spread around California in almost all of the biomes in the state. Scientific Name Common Name Type Subtype Extent Risk of Introduction First Source; Abgrallaspis aguacatae: armored scale : arthropod : scale, aphid Parrotfeather is another aquatic plant, but it looks quite a bit different from some of the other invasive aquatic plants we’ve covered so far. It will clump together and raise other plants out of the water. As fire clears swathes of native shrubs, these invasive plants often fill in the space left behind, continuing the cycle. It shows up mostly in the river valleys of central California, but is moving into the northern coast as well. This selection of California native plants will add beauty and seasonal interest to low-water gardens. Spartina Alterniflora X Foliosa, S. Alterniflora. Simply put, they should not be planted. Like some of the aquatic weeds we’ve covered, it forms mats that build nutrients in the soil and allow other noxious weeds to invade the region. They’re also a fire hazard. Common Name: Perennial Pepperweed; Tall Whitetop; Broadleaved Pepperweed. They can also increase the risk of floods and wildfires. The Spanish Broom is a close relative to the Scotch Broom, which we covered already. California State-listed Noxious Weeds 254 records returned. This vine is an invader of the California coast. INTRODUCTION. Common Name: Dense-Flowered Cordgrass; Chilean Cordgrass. The California Invasive Species List Why was the list created? The most important factor for controlling this weed is typically just early prevention, as its seeds disperse far and wide once it’s grown in. Plants A to Z. Browse below to see all plants on the Cal-IPC Inventory, including both invasive plants and “Watch” species. It can grow up to seven feet tall in smooth grassy talks. It’s yet another plant that made its way to California from South America via the aquarium trade. Perennial Pepperweed is a member of the mustard family and has 2-4 foot stems that pop up all over moist or wet areas in California. If native plants struggle to grow in the area, gorse will take over, showing up in places as desolate as gravel bars and fence rows. Red Brome is mostly found in Southern California, although pockets of it show up throughout the rest of the state. Common Name: Smooth Cordgrass And Hybrids. As a serious threat to lakes, ponds, and rivers, it will completely cover water surfaces and create stagnant waters in once-moving streams. While some species are native to California and may not be invasive, there is at least one species considered non-native and quite invasive. Keep in mind, Sweet Anise is the preferred food of the Anise Swallowtail butterfly, noted in 1850’s by per Arthur Shapiro UC Davis field guide. Impact – how large is the effect it has on the environment? Invasiveness – how effectively does it take over the areas it invades? Invasive plants often increase the frequency of fires by providing more-continuous fuels that are easier to ignite. I created Epic Gardening to help teach 10,000,000 people how to grow anything, no matter where they live in the world. On top of that, it was planted next to highways for erosion control. Name: Leymus (Elymus) condensatus. This means that sand can’t blow past patches of beachgrass to interior dunes, changing the landscape and ecology of the dunes. The Himalayan Blackberrry is a robust, thick shrub that competes well with native species. the invasive plants of greatest concern are: Annual Grasses Almost all of the grasses common in southern California today are non-native species from the Old World. 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