It's Illegal to Grow These Plants in Massachusetts

Despite the recent snowstorm that covered western Massachusetts in two feet of heavy wet snow, spring truly is right around the corner.

With temperatures in the mid-40s for the foreseeable future, Massachusetts residents are hoping the recent snowfall from winter storm Sage melts swiftly and a ready to embrace the spring season. Get your lawns and gardens ready!

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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