This ornamental annual is often cultivated and it escapes into disturbed areas, but it is not a seriously invasive species. It has been erroneously named C. spinosa DC. by several earlier authors (FNA 7). Rafinesque's genus Tarenaya has been adopted in recent years for American plants that have generally been combined with Cleome. In its strict sense, Cleome is native only to the Eastern Hemisphere, but some species from both genera have now spread to both sides of the Atlantic (FNA 7).