In an effort to minimize additional spread of invasive plants and to help lessen the long-term impact of existing problem species, the Missouri Invasive Plant Task Force (MoIP) proposes the idea of a Missouri statute that would cease the sale, propagation, and intentional distribution of some invasive plants. The new rule would not penalize property owners for the presence of a known invasive plant.
This is a different statute than the existing Missouri Noxious Weed Law.
While any individual or group may propose legislation to legislators with no input from others, MoIP invites organizations with a stake in this proposal to provide thorough feedback on specific plant species. We aim to maintain transparency throughout the process and desire to work with stakeholders from many sectors, including agriculture, conservation, horticulture, academia, and utilities to find common ground on what’s best for the future of the state.
The following items document information we are sharing with approximately 90 stakeholder groups from agriculture, horticulture, conservation, and other groups.
Rationale for a Missouri Cease the Sale of Invasive Plants Statute
Invasive plants threaten aspects of Missouri’s economy, including agricultural production, private landowners, native plant health, native ecosystems, and the outdoor recreation industry. Many of these problematic plants are imported, bred, distributed, and promoted for sale in Missouri.
In fall 2020, the Missouri Invasive Plant Task Force is seeking stakeholder involvement for efforts toward the proposal of legislation ceasing the propagation, sale, and intentional distribution of invasive plants in our state. MoIP defines “invasive” as an aggressive, non-native plant whose presence causes or is likely to cause economic harm, environmental harm, or harm to human health. This proposed statute different from the Missouri Noxious Weed Law. (See section 3, “MoIP Rationale and Intentions.”)
In 2015, the native plant Grow Native! Program spearheaded the Missouri Invasive Plant Task Force (MoIP), an independently organized multi-discipline group bolstering statewide efforts to identify and control the invasive plant species that severely impact native biodiversity and economies of working lands. MoIP is not a regulatory group.
The purpose of the task force is to review, discuss, and recommend educational and regulatory action related to managing known and potential non-native invasive plant species that negatively impact natural communities and built landscapes in Missouri and elsewhere in the lower Midwest.
Representatives from the fields of conservation, agriculture, botanical science, ecological services, plant production, horticulture, landscape services and design, and arboriculture make up the task force. They communicate MoIP recommendations with their representative organizations to act as a united, supportive front.
Private property owners, communities, farmers, business owners, industry, and tax-supported state agencies suffer economic losses controlling invasive plants. While many people are exerting effort to control invasive plants on the ground in Missouri, no state statutes exist to stop invasive plants from being sold in the state, beyond the Missouri Noxious Weed Law, which currently prohibits the sale of 12 invasive plants. As we have seen with Callery (Bradford) pear invasion, even plants thought to be sterile are exhibiting significant invasive characteristics in the field.
In an effort to stop any more invasive plant problems before they start, MoIP is proposing an idea for state legislation that would prohibit the sale, known distribution, and propagation of some invasive plants. Many states, including Indiana, Ohio, Maryland, and Tennessee have recently passed legislation of this nature, for the benefit of agricultural, horticultural, silvicultural, and other interests of their states. This proposed legislation would not penalize landowners for presence of invasive plants on their property and would not require them to control these plants.
Many Missourians are familiar with the Missouri Noxious Weed Law, which both:
- requires property owners to control noxious weeds on their property and
- prohibits noxious weeds from being sold
Elements of MoIP’s proposed state statute:
Restrictions - Except as provided below, a person may not intentionally propagate, import, transfer, sell, purchase, or introduce any viable part of an invasive plant in the State. These restrictions do not apply to the transfer, lease, sale, or purchase of real property on which an invasive plant is already established. [See Appendix B for examples of restricted actions] Phase-Out Periods - Some plants, particularly in the ornamental trade, require multi-year upfront investment before selling to the public. Interested stakeholder groups are invited to recommend a “phase out” period of time during which existing stock of certain invasive plant species may still be legally sold after the statute is passed. Recommendations for Trade Alternatives MoIP suggests alternative non-invasive plants with which to replace restricted invasive plants in commerce. Many alternative plants exist, including:- Grow Native!: Alternative Species
- Midwest Invasive Plant Network: Native Landscape Alternatives
- Woody Invasives of the Great Lakes Collaborative: Landscape Alternatives
- The activity is for the purpose of:
- Disposing of the invasive plant
- Controlling the invasive plant
- Using the invasive plant for research or educational purposes
- Commercial and individual floriculture remains - properly discard so viable parts of plant don’t take root or go to seed.
- Name of the Requestor
- Contact Information
- Scientific name of the plant
- Detailed justification of the request”
One of MoIP's top priorities when it formed in 2015 was to create an updated, comprehensive list of known invasive plants in Missouri. To develop this list, MoIP sought input from experienced Missouri field biologists. Twenty-six professional reviewers assigned independent ranks to 142 invasive plant species for the following three categories:
- Impact: How severe is the current impact of the species on natural communities in each of Missouri’s primary ecological regions?
- Current Abundance: Estimate the species current abundance in each of Missouri’s primary ecological regions.
- Trend in Distribution and Abundance: Based on observations and regional trends over the past 10 to 20 years, estimate how rapidly the species range will expand to form new occurrences throughout each of Missouri’s primary ecological regions over the next 10 years?
- Rankings are displayed through regional maps accessible as a searchable table or downloadable via Dropbox.
- Download all raw data for the Missouri Invasive Plant Assessment here (locked)
MoIP is inviting more than 90 groups in Fall 2020 to review and provide feedback on the list of 142 invasive species determined by the Invasive Plant Assessment. MoIP is providing reviewers with detailed instructions.
See FAQ for a list of the invited reviewer groups.
Science Phase
- 2016: Research for the Missouri Invasive Plant Assessment begins compiling extensive research on known and potentially invasive plants, a process that took approximately 75 hours to complete.
- 2017: Starting with our network of local, state and federal agencies and private industries, MoIP sought input from experienced field biologists in Missouri. MoIP received 26 completed reviews.
- 2018: Data/metrics documented and converted into regional maps.
- February 2019: Impact analysis/mapping shared online and in presentations, such as to the Missouri Natural Resources Conference
Stakeholder Engagement Phase
- Winter 2019/2020: MoIP begins gathering reviewer groups/principal contact identification. MoIP begins developing documentation and input tool for review.
- Establish composition of a review committee for review of stakeholder input
- Spring 2020: MoIP begins develop a matrix for summarizing stakeholder input.
- April 7, 2020: (cancelled due to COVID-19) MoIP invites stakeholders to statewide meeting on invasive plant topics
- September 2020: introduce idea for statute to general public via a Grow Native! webinar (see recording)
- October 2020: Request for stakeholder input/comment/advisement
- November 2020: Committee recommendations
Legislative Advocacy/Engagement Phase
- Development of legislation language
- Identify legislation sponsors
- Legislative committee hearings
This is a list of 142 species deemed to be invasive by MoIP. Their rates of invasiveness vary. MoIP is inviting approximately 90 stakeholder groups to rate these for what should be included in a proposed cease-the-sale list.
A subset of these plants are sold in farm stores, garden centers, and home improvement stores. Nearly all are available for purchase via the internet.
To re-emphasize, MoIP does not intend to prohibit sale of all these species.
^ Species with this symbol following their names are currently regulated under the Missouri Noxious Weed Law
Invasive Plants Currently Available from Nursery Dealers
*However, virtually all of these plants are indicated here as not being sold, it is likely any of these plants can be obtained through eBay or other nonconventional retail methods.
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Currently available from nursery dealers.* |
| air potato | Dioscorea polystachya | |
| amur corktree | Phellodendron amurense | |
| Amur honeysuckle | Lonicera maackii | |
| Amur maple | Acer tataricum | Yes |
| Amur privet | Ligustrum amurense | Yes |
| autumn olive | Elaeagnus umbellata | Yes |
| beefsteak plant, Perilla mint | Perilla frutescens | Yes |
| bicolor lespedeza | Lespedeza bicolor | |
| birdsfoot trefoil | Lotus corniculatus | Yes |
| black swallow-wort | Cynanchum louiseae | |
| blackberry lily | Belamcanda chinensis | Yes |
| border privet | Ligustrum obtusifolium | Yes |
| Brazilian waterweed | Egeria densa | |
| brittle naiad | Najas minor | |
| bromegrass | Bromus sterilis | Yes |
| bull thistle | Cirsium vulgare | |
| burdock | Arctium minus | |
| California privet | Ligustrum ovalifolium | Yes |
| Canada thistle^ | Cirsium arvense^ | |
| Caucasian bluestem | Bothriochloa bladhii | |
| cheat grass | Bromus tectorum | |
| Chinese chestnut | Castanea mollissima | Yes |
| Chinese privet | Ligustrum sinense | Yes |
| Chinese wisteria | Wisteria sinensis | Yes |
| chocolate vine | Akebia quinata | Yes |
| climbing euonymus | Euonymus fortunei | Yes |
| common buckthorn | Rhamnus cathartica | |
| common periwinkle | Vinca minor | Yes |
| common reed | Phragmites australis | |
| common tansy | Tanacetum vulgare | |
| common teasel^ | Dipsacus fullonum^ | |
| crown vetch | Securigera varia | Yes |
| curly leaf pondweed | Potamogeton crispus | |
| cut-leaf teasel^ | Dipsacus laciniatus^ | |
| Dahurian buckthorn | Rhamnus davurica | |
| dame's rocket | Hesperis matronalis | Yes |
| dwarf honeysuckle | Lonicera xylosteum | Yes |
| English ivy | Hedera helix | Yes |
| Eurasian watermilfoil | Myriophyllum spicatum | |
| European cranberry bush | Viburnum opulus | Yes |
| European privet | Ligustrum vulgare | Yes |
| European wand loosestrife | Lythrum virgatum | Yes |
| field bindweed^ | Convolvulus arvensis^ | |
| field sowthistle | Sonchus arvensis | |
| fountain grass^ | Cenchrus purpurascens^ | Yes |
| garlic mustard | Alliaria petiolata | |
| giant hogweed | Heracleum mantegazzianum | |
| giant Miscanthus | Miscanthus | Yes |
| giant reed | Arundo donax | Yes |
| glossy buckthorn, European alder buckthorn | Frangula alnus | Yes |
| glossy privet | Ligustrum lucidum | Yes |
| golden bamboo | Phyllostachys aurea | Yes |
| golden rain tree | Koelreuteria paniculata | Yes |
| ground ivy, creeping charlie | Glechoma hederacea | Yes |
| hardheads | Acroptilon repens | |
| heavenly bamboo | Nandina domestica | Yes |
| Himalayan blackberry | Rubus armeniacus | |
| hydrilla | Hydrilla verticillata | |
| Japanese angelica tree | Aralia elata | Yes |
| Japanese barberry | Berberis thunbergii | Yes |
| Japanese chaff flower | Achyranthes japonica | |
| Japanese clover | Kummerowia striata | Yes |
| Japanese honeysuckle | Lonicera japonica | Yes |
| Japanese hops | Humulus japonicus | |
| Japanese knotweed | Fallopia japonica | |
| Japanese plume grass | Miscanthus sinensis | Yes |
| Japanese privet | Ligustrum japonicum | Yes |
| Japanese stiltgrass | Microstegium vimineum | |
| Japanese wisteria | Wisteria floribunda | Yes |
| Japanese zelkova, Japanese elm | Zelkova serrata | Yes |
| jetbead | Rhodotypos scandens | Yes |
| Johnson grass^ | Sorghum halepense^ | |
| Korean clover | Kummerowia stipulacea | Yes |
| kudzu^ | Pueraria montana^ | |
| Lacebark elm, Chinese elm | Ulmus parvifolia | Yes |
| leafy spurge | Euphorbia esula | |
| lesser celandine | Ranunculus ficaria | |
| mahaleb cherry | Prunus mahaleb | |
| mile-a-minute weed | Persicaria perfoliata | |
| moneywort, creeping jenny, herb twopence and twopenny grass | Lysimachia nummularia | Yes |
| Morrow's honeysuckle | Lonicera morrowii | |
| multiflora rose^ | Rosa multiflora^ | |
| musk thistle^ | Carduus nutans^ | |
| narrowleaf bittercress | Cardamine impatiens | |
| Norway maple | Acer platanoides | Yes |
| orange daylily, tawny daylily | Hemerocallis fulva | Yes |
| Oriental bittersweet | Celastrus orbiculatus | Yes |
| ornamental pear, callery pear | Pyrus calleryana | Yes |
| paper mulberry | Broussonetia papyrifera | |
| parrotfeather | Myriophyllum aquaticum | |
| pepperweed | Lepidium latifolium | |
| pincushion flower | Scabiosa atropurpurea | Yes |
| poison hemlock | Conium maculatum | |
| porcelain berry | Ampelopsis brevipedunculata | Yes |
| princess tree | Paulownia tomentosa | Yes |
| purple loosestrife^ | Lythrum salicaria^ | Yes |
| ravennagrass | Saccharum ravennae | Yes |
| reed canary grass | Phalaris arundinacea | Yes |
| Russian olive | Elaeagnus angustifolia | Yes |
| saltcedar | Tamarix chinensis | Yes |
| saw tooth oak | Quercus acutissima | Yes |
| Scotch thistle^ | Onopordum acanthium^ | |
| sericea lespedeza | Lespedeza cuneata | Yes |
| Siberian elm | Ulmus pumila | Yes |
| silktree | Albizia julibrissin | Yes |
| silver poplar | Populus alba | Yes |
| smooth brome | Bromus inermis | Yes |
| spotted knapweed^ | Centaurea stoebe^ | |
| star of Bethlehem | Ornithogalum umbellatum | Yes |
| sweet autumn virginsbower | Clematis terniflora | Yes |
| sweet breath of spring | Lonicera fragrantissima | Yes |
| tall fescue | Festuca arundinacea | Yes |
| Tartarian bush honeysuckle | Lonicera tatarica | |
| tree-of-heaven | Ailanthus altissima | Yes |
| viper's bugloss | Echium vulgare | Yes |
| water hyacinth | Eichhornia crassipes | Yes |
| waxyleaf privet | Ligustrum quihoui | Yes |
| weeping lovegrass | Eragrostis curvula | Yes |
| white mulberry | Morus alba | Yes |
| white sweet clover | Melilotus albus | Yes |
| wild parsnip | Pastinaca sativa | |
| wine raspberry | Rubus phoenicolasius | |
| winged burning bush | Euonymus alatus | Yes |
| winter vetch | Vicia villosa | Yes |
| yellow bluestem | Bothriochloa ischaemum | |
| yellow flag iris | Iris pseudacorus | Yes |
| yellow star thistle | Centaurea solstitialis | |
| yellow sweet clover | Melilotus officinalis | Yes |
- All businesses are prohibited from selling any plant or viable part of a plant listed in the statute at their store or sales events in Missouri. This includes out-of-state vendors selling through ecommerce or mail order services.
- Landscape services are prohibited from installing any plant or viable part of a plant listed in the statute in any new development.
- Plants shipped out of state for a specific landscaping job.
- Commercial and individual floriculture remains - properly discard so viable parts of plant don’t take root or go to seed.
- See photos of escaped cultivation here.
- See Missouri Invasive Plant Assessment for details on national, state, and regional noxious weed listings (columns N through AJ)
Frequently Asked Questions
MoIP is inviting the following stakeholder groups in Fall 2020 to provide feedback on the list of 142 species. MoIP is providing them with detailed instructions.
After MoIP members review the first phase of feedback from these groups, members will revise the cease-the-sale idea.
Size and stake of each organization will be considered when evaluating responses.
| 4-H |
| AgriMissouri |
| American Society of Landscape Architects |
| Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives |
| Baisch & Skinner |
| Boy Scouts |
| Bridging the Gap |
| Cattlemen's Association |
| Conservation Federation of Missouri |
| Farm Service Agency |
| Federated Garden Clubs |
| Forest & Woodland Association of Missouri |
| Future Farmers of America |
| Garden Centers of America |
| Gateway Professional Horticultural Association |
| Girl Scouts - contacted through online form |
| Great Missouri Birding Trail |
| Great Rivers Greenway District |
| Greenhouse Growers Association |
| L-A-D Foundation |
| Landscape and Nursery Association of Greater St. Louis |
| Leave No Trace - contacted through online form |
| Lincoln Coop Extension |
| Magnificent Missouri |
| MFA Incorporated |
| Missouri Agribusiness Association |
| Missouri Agriculture Stewardship Assurance Program |
| Missouri Aquarium Society |
| Missouri Aquarium Society |
| Missouri Association of Counties - contacted through online form |
| Missouri Association of Soil & Water Conservation Districts |
| Missouri Beef Industry Council |
| Missouri Botanical Garden |
| Missouri Coalition for the Environment |
| Missouri Community Forestry Council |
| Missouri Consulting Foresters Association |
| Missouri Corn Growers Association |
| Missouri Cottongrower's Association |
| Missouri Crop Improvement Assocation |
| Missouri Dairy Association |
| Missouri Department of Conservation |
| Missouri Dept. of Agriculture |
| Missouri Dept. of Natural Resources |
| Missouri Energy Initiative |
| Missouri Farm Bureau Federation |
| Missouri Farmers Care |
| Missouri Farmers Union |
| Missouri Forage and Grasslands Council |
| Missouri Forest Products Association |
| Missouri Green Industry Alliance |
| Missouri Hemp Association |
| Missouri Homebuilders Association |
| Missouri Horse Council |
| Missouri Master Gardeners |
| Missouri Master Naturalists |
| Missouri Medical Cannabis Trade Association |
| Missouri Municipal League |
| Missouri Native Seed Association |
| Missouri Nut Growers Association |
| Missouri Organic Association |
| Missouri Park & Recreation Association |
| Missouri Parks Association |
| Missouri Pork Association |
| Missouri Prairie Foundation/GN |
| Missouri Realtors Association |
| Missouri Rice Council - contacted through online form |
| Missouri Right of Way Association |
| Missouri River Relief |
| Missouri Seedsmen’s Association |
| Missouri Solar Energy Industries Association |
| Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council |
| Missouri State Arboretum |
| Missouri State Beekeepers Association |
|
Missouri State Florists Association?
|
| Missouri Wine & Grape Board |
| Missouri Women in Agriculture |
| MO Environmental Education Association |
| MoDOT |
| MU Extension |
| National Forest Service |
| National Guard |
| National Park Service |
| National Wild Turkey Federation |
| NRCS |
| Poultry Federation |
| Powell Gardens |
| Quail and Upland Wildlife Federation |
| Quail/Pheasants Forever |
| Science Teachers of Missouri |
| Show-Me Farm Safety |
| Sierra Club |
| St. Louis Arborists |
| Stream Teams United |
| The Nature Conservancy |
| TPI (turfgrowers group) |
| Trout Unlimited |
| U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service |
| USDA Farm Service Agency |
| Western Nursery and Landscape Association |
Almost all invasive plants can be purchased online or in retail centers. Of those, a subset is popular and widely available. We want to call those to your attention with the short-list below.
There are other ubiquitous invasive plants such as bush honeysuckle that are not included on the list below because they are not currently popular and they are not readily available from the horticulture market.
We are including ubiquitous invasive plants with high agricultural value, such as tall fescue, a widely used and significant forage for livestock. However, we realize that they are economically significant to some stakeholders, who may not want them included on the Cease the Sale list.
We invite reviewers to please provide feedback on all species.
MoIP suggests alternative non-invasive plants with which to replace restricted invasive plants in commerce. Many alternative plants exist, including:
Short List of Widely Available Invasive Species for Sale as Determined by Members of the Missouri Invasive Plant Task Force
| COMMON NAME | SCIENTIFIC NAME |
| common periwinkle | Vinca minor and cultivars |
| heavenly bamboo | Nandina domestica and cultivars |
| Japanese zelkova | Zelkova serrata and cultivars |
| Japanese plume grass | Miscanthus sinensis and cultivars |
| sweet autumn virginsbower | Clematis terniflora and cultivars |
| English ivy | Hedera helix and cultivars |
| winged burning bush | Euonymus alatus and cultivars |
| climbing euonymus, wintercreeper | Euonymus fortunei and cultivars |
| ornamental pear, callery pear | Pyrus calleryana and cultivars |
| tall fescue | Festuca arundinacea and cultivars |
| European wand loosestrife | Lythrum virgatum and cultivars |
| Beefsteak plant, Perilla mint | Perilla frutescens and cultivars |
| water hyacinth | Eichhornia crassipes and cultivars |
| Japanese barberry | Berberis thunbergii and cultivars |
| fountain grass | Cenchrus purpurascens and cultivars |
| golden bamboo | Phyllostachys aurea and cultivars |
| lacebark elm, Chinese elm | Ulmus parvifolia and cultivars |
| purple loosestrife | Lythrum salicaria and cultivars |
Past and Anticipated Timeline for Missouri Invasive Plant Task Force Scientific Review, Stakeholder Engagement, and Legislative Advocacy
Science PHASE
- Research
- Discovery
- Data/metrics documentation
- Impact analysis/mapping
Stakeholder Engagement PHASE
- October 2019: MoIP begins stakeholder groups/principal contact identification
- Development of the documentation for stakeholder review
- Establish composition of a review committee for review of stakeholder input
- Develop a matrix for summarizing stakeholder input
- September 2020: introduce idea for statute to general public via a Grow Native! webinar (see recording)
- October 2020: Request for stakeholder input/comment/advisement
- November 2020: Committee recommendations
Legislative advocacy/engagement PHASE
- Development of legislation language
- Identify legislation sponsors
- Legislative committee hearings