It’s Springtime, But It’s Still Illegal to Grown These Plants in Massachusetts
Massachusetts residents have endured another annoyingly long winter season and spring is finally here!
With the help of a few unseasonable warm 70-degree days this past week, we are ready for the warm weather to stay. Folks all over the state are fully embracing their favorite springtime activities and that of course means getting the yard and garden in order.
Whether or not you're a seasoned green thumb or you've decided to embrace the hobby this year, there is a TON you need to know. Unfortunately, we're not just talking about fertilizer and sunlight, we're talking about plants that are illegal to grow in Massachusetts.
According to the Massachusetts Department of Cultural Resources, there is a large, LONG list of plants that are illegal for Bay State residents to grow import, sell, or trade of plants because they've been determined to be invasive in Massachusetts.
Common Name | Scientific Name |
---|---|
aeginetia | Aeginetia spp. |
African boxthorn | Lycium ferrocissimum |
African couch grass | Digitaria abyssinica; D. scalarum |
African feathergrass | Pennisetum macrourum |
alectra | Alectra spp. |
alfombrilla | Drymaria arenarioides |
ambulia | Limnophila sessiliflora |
Amur cork-tree | Phellodendron amurense |
Amur honeysuckle | Lonicera maackii |
anchored water hyacinth | Eichhornia azurea |
animated oat | Avena sterilis |
Argentine screwbean | Prosopis strombulifera |
arrowhead | Sagittaria sagittifolia |
Asian sprangletop | Leptochloa chinensis |
autumn olive | Elaeagnus umbellata |
Bell's honeysuckle | Lonicera x bella [L. morrowii x L. tatarica] |
Benghal dayflower | Commelina benghalensis |
Bishop's weed; goutweed | Aegopodium podagraria |
black locust | Robinia pseudoacacia |
black swallow-wort; Louise's swallow-wort | Cynanchum louiseae |
Border privet | Ligustrum obtusifolium |
borreria | Spermacoce alata |
Brazilian satintail | Imperata brasiliensis |
Brazilian waterweed; anacharis; Brazilian elodea | Egeria densa; Elodea densa; Anacharis densa |
brittle water-nymph; lesser naiad | Najas minor |
broad-leafed pepperweed; tall pepperweed | Lepidium latifolium |
broomrape | Non-native Orobanche spp. |
brownbeard rice; red rice | Oryza rufipogon |
burning bush; winged euonymus | Euonymus alatus |
bushy rock-cress; narrowleaf bittercress | Cardamine impatiens |
Cape tulip | Homeria spp.; Moraea spp. |
Carolina Fanwort; fanwort | Cabomba caroliniana |
catclaw mimosa | Mimosa pigra |
cattail grass; yellow foxtail | Setaria pallidifusca; S. pallidefusca; S. pumila |
caulerpa | Caulerpa taxifolia |
Chinese waterspinach *Permit required - contact Department* | Ipomoea aquatica |
coat buttons | Tridax procumbens |
coltsfoot | Tussilago farfara |
common barberry; European barberry | Berberis vulgaris |
common buckthorn | Rhamnus cathartica |
common crupina | Crupina vulgaris |
common reed | Phragmites australis |
creeping buttercup | Ranunculus repens |
creeping Jenny; moneywort | Lysimachia nummularia |
crisped pondweed; curly pondweed | Potamogeton crispus |
crofton weed | Ageratina adenophora |
Cypress spurge | Euphorbia cyparissias |
Dames Rocket | Hesperis matronalis |
devil's thorn | Emex spinosa |
dodder | Non-native Cuscuta spp. |
duck-lettuce | Ottelia alismoides |
Eurasian or European water-milfoil; Spike water-milfoil | Myriophyllum spicatum |
European buckthorn; glossy buckthorn | Frangula alnus; Rhamnus frangula |
exotic bur-reed | Sparganium erectum |
Flowering rush | Butomus umbellatus |
forget-me-not | Myosotis scorpioides |
garlic mustard | Alliaria petiolata |
giant false sensitive plant; false sensitive plant | Mimosa diplotricha; M. invisa |
giant hogweed | Heracleum mantegazzianum |
giant salvinia; eared watermoss | Salvinia auriculata |
giant salvinia; kariba-weed | Salvinia molesta |
giant salvinia | Salvinia biloba |
giant salvinia | Salvinia herzogii |
goatsrue | Galega officinalis |
gray willow, rusty willow | Salix cinerea, Salix cinerea ssp.oleifolia |
hair fescue; fineleaf sheep fescue | Festuca filiformis |
hairy joint grass; jointhead; small carpetgrass | Arthraxon hispidus |
hairy willow-herb; Codlins and Cream | Epilobium hirsutum |
horned poppy; sea poppy; yellow hornpoppy | Glaucium flavum |
hydrilla; water-thyme; Florida elodea | Hydrilla verticillata |
itchgrass | Rottboellia cochinchinensis |
Japanese Barberry | Berberis thunbergii |
Japanese honeysuckle | Lonicera japonica |
Japanese hops | Humulus japonicus |
Japanese knotweed | Fallopia japonica; Polygonum cuspidatum; Reynoutria japonica |
Japanese sedge; Asiatic sand sedge | Carex kobomugi |
Japanese stiltgrass; Nepalese browntop | Microstegium vimineum |
jointed prickly pear | Opuntia aurantiaca |
kiawe | Prosopis pallida |
kikuyugrass | Pennisetum clandestinum |
Kodo-millet | Paspalum scrobiculatum |
kudzu; Japanese arrowroot | Pueraria montana |
Kyasuma grass | Pennisetum pedicellatum |
large gray willow | Salix atrocinerea, Salix cinerea ssp. oleifolia |
leafy Spurge; Wolf's Milk | Euphorbia esula |
lesser celandine; fig buttercup | Ranunculus ficaria; Ficaria verna |
liverseed grass | Urochloa panicoides |
longstamen rice; red rice | Oryza longistaminata |
Malabar melastome | Melastoma malabathricum |
melaleuca | Melaleuca quinquenervia |
mile-a-minute vine or weed; Asiatic Tearthumb | Polygonum perfoliatum, Persicaria perfoliata |
mile-a-minute; bittervine | Mikania micrantha |
mile-a-minute; heartleaf hempvine | Mikania cordata |
Miramar weed | Hygrophila polysperma |
missiongrass | Pennisetum polystachyon; P. polystachion |
monochoria | Monochoria hastata |
Morrow's honeysuckle | Lonicera morrowii |
mosquito fern | Azolla pinnata |
multiflora rose | Rosa multiflora |
murain-grass | Ischaemum rugosum |
Norway maple | Acer platanoides |
onion weed | Asphodelus fistulosus |
Oriental/Asiatic bittersweet | Celastrus orbiculatus |
oxygen weed | Lagarosiphon major |
pale swallow-wort | Cynanchum rossicum |
parrot-feather; water-feather; Brazilian water-milfoil | Myriophyllum aquaticum |
pickerel weed | Monochoria vaginalis |
pilipiliula | Chrysopogon aciculatus |
plume grass; Amur silvergrass | Miscanthus sacchariflorus (also covers Miscanthus x giganteus, a hybrid of M. sacchariflorus and M. sinensis) |
porcelain-berry; Amur peppervine | Ampelopsis brevipedunculata |
purple loosestrife | Lythrum salicaria |
red rice | Oryza punctata |
reed canary-grass, ribbon grass | Phalaris arundinacea |
serrated tussock | Nassella trichotoma |
sessile joyweed | Alternanthera sessilis |
spotted knapweed | Centaurea biebersteinii; C. stoebe ssp. micranthos |
sycamore maple | Acer pseudoplatanus |
tall mannagrass; reed mannagrass | Glyceria maxima |
tansy ragwort; stinking Willie | Senecio jacobaea |
Tatarian honeysuckle | Lonicera tatarica |
three-cornered jack | Emex australis |
tornillo | Prosopis reptans |
tree of heaven | Ailanthus altissima |
tropical soda apple | Solanum viarum |
turkeyberry | Solanum torvum |
variable water-milfoil; two-leaved water-milfoil | Myriophyllum heterophyllum |
velvet fingergrass | Digitaria velutina |
velvet mesquite | Prosopis velutina |
water yellowcress; great yellowcress | Rorippa amphibia |
water-chestnut | Trapa natans |
wetland nightshade | Solanum tampicense |
wild blackberry complex | Rubus fruticosus |
wild blackberry | Rubus moluccanus |
wild chervil | Anthriscus sylvestris |
wild safflower; jeweled distaff thistle | Carthamus oxyacanthus; C. oxycantha |
wild sugarcane | Saccharum spontaneum |
wineberry; Japanese wineberry; wine raspberry | Rubus phoenicolasius |
witchweed | Striga spp. |
wormleaf salsola | Salsola vermiculata |
yellow floating heart | Nymphoides peltata |
yellow Iris | Iris pseudacorus |
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