Invasion of the Foreign Plants

A list of some of the most widespread and damaging species of foreign plants found in California, as compiled by the California Exotic Pest Plant Council:

* Giant reed: Found in stream and river corridors in all coastal areas

* Pampas grass: Found in dunes, scrub and pine forests along the north and central coasts

* Broom (French, Scotch, Portuguese): Found in scrub and oak woodlands in Northern California, Sierra Nevada, the Central Valley and south coast

* Tasmanian blue gum eucalyptus: Found along streams, grasslands, dunes and moist slopes in Northern California, the Central Valley, south coast

* Freeway iceplant: Found in coastal areas and dunes in Northern California and the central and southern coasts

* German ivy: Found in stream and river corridors in coastal areas

* Tamarisk or salt cedar: Found in desert washes and stream beds in deserts, along the coast and in coastal mountains, and in the Central Valley

* Yellow star thistle: Found in grasslands in Northern California

* European beach grass: Found in coastal dunes in all coastal areas

* Fountain grass: Found in grasslands, desert canyons and roadsides along the northern and central coasts and in the Central Valley

* Gorse: Found in shrub lands in Northern California