Ward's weed threatens to spread across Southwest: The invader was first found in Carlsbad, near San Diego, about 2008 by a botanist working in a habitat preserve along Alicante Road in the La Costa area.

[Wikipedia] Macaronesia, North Africa, Western Asia to Iran & Saudi Arabia,: Carrichtera is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Brassicaceae. It has a single species, Carrichtera annua, commonly known as Ward's weed. Its native range is from Macaronesia across North Africa and Western Asia to Iran and Saudi Arabia, and in Portugal and Greece in southern Europe.[1] It has been introduced to Italy, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and California,[1] where it is considered invasive.[2] (contributed by Mary Ann Machi)