New rules regulating the sale and distribution of some ornamental plants went into effect beginning January 2018.
The Ohio Department of Agriculture is charged with monitoring and inspection of wholesale and retail nursery, greenhouse, and garden center establishments operating in the state of Ohio. In order to protect our food supply, and the native plant species in our natural areas, The Ohio Department of Agriculture monitors these businesses to ensure each plant is labeled properly, is free of insects and disease pathogens and is not on the designated invasive plant species list. Currently the list includes 38 plants, some of which were best sellers in the trade. The new regulations prohibit the importing, propagation, sale or distribution of these plants.
According to the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service, an invasive plant is both non-native and able to establish on many sites, grow quickly and spread to the point of disrupting plant communities and ecosystems. Biologists and park managers in Ohio have seen an increase of these species sprouting in the natural areas they manage at accelerating rates.
The complete list of plants whose introduction is likely to cause economic and environmental harm is here:
- Ailanthus altissima (tree-of-heaven)
- Alliaria petiolata (garlic mustard)
- Berberis vulgaris (common barberry)
- Butomus umbellatus (flowering rush)
- Celastrus orbiculatus (Oriental bittersweet)
- Centaurea stoebe ssp. Micranthos (spotted knapweed)
- Dipsacus fullonum (common teasel)
- Dipsacus laciniatus (cutleaf teasel)
- Egeria densa (Brazilian elodea)
- Elaeagnus angustifolia (Russian olive)
- Elaeagnus umbellata (autumn olive)
- Epilobium hirsutum (hairy willow herb)
- Frangula alnus (glossy buckthorn)
- Heracleum mantegazzianum (giant hogweed)
- Hesperis matronlis (dame's rocket)
- Hydrilla verticillata (hydrilla)
- Hydrocharis morsus-ranae (European frog-bit)
- Lonicera japonica (Japanese honeysuckle)
- Lonicera maackii (amur honeysuckle)
- Lonicera morrowii (Morrow's honeysuckle)
- Lonicera tatarica (tatarian honeysuckle)
- Lythrum salicaria (purple loosestrife)
- Microstegium vimineum (Japanese stiltgrass)
- Myriophyllum aquaticum (parrotfeather)
- Myriophyllum spicatum (Eurasian water-milfoil)
- Nymphoides peltata (yellow floating heart)
- Phragmites australis (common reed)
- Potamogeton crispus (curly-leaved pondweed)
- Pueraria montana var. lobate (kudzu)
- Ranunculus ficaria (fig buttercup, lesser celandine)
- Rhamnus cathartica (European buckthorn)
- Rosa multiflora (multiflora rose)
- Trapa natans (water chestnut)
- Typha angustifolia (narrow-leaved cattail)
- Typha x glauca (hybrid cattail)
- Vincetoxicum nigrum (black dog-strangling vine, black swallowwort)
- Lythrum virgatum (European wand loosestrife) - effective January 7, 2019
- Pyrus calleryana (callery pear) - effective January 7, 2023
With this action, the Ohio Department of Agriculture also established an invasive plant advisory committee. This committee was created for the purposes of providing advice to the director on matters regarding invasive plants.
For More Information On Ohio’s List Of Invasive Plants & How They Might Impact Your Property Or Project, Contact Us.
