Ezina · A field manual for plant care · Contiguous U.S.Vol. I · Ed. 2027 · Proof copy

Invasive plants regulated in Missouri

Missouri lists 12 plants as noxious weeds under 2 CSR 70-45.005. The table below reproduces that list in full, showing each plant's status in the state's own words. Missouri's list is an agricultural noxious-weed law, which governs control and spread on farmland and rights of way rather than what a nursery may sell.

Compiled from the rule itself, retrieved July 20, 2026. Law changes; if you spot a listing we have wrong or stale, tell us at [email protected].

Want the answer for one plant, at your address?

Check a plant against your county →

Regulated and invasive are two different findings, and this page shows them separately. 11 of the 12 plants below carry both: Missouri names them in statute and GRIIS lists them as invasive in the United States. The other 1 is regulated by Missouri without appearing on that register. The reverse is far more common still: most plants GRIIS calls invasive are named in no state’s statute at all and are sold freely, so an absent chip is never a clean bill of health.

Plant Scientific name Status Missouri’s determination
Canada Thistle Cirsium arvense Prohibited Invasive Missouri lists Canada Thistle under “Thistles and thistle-like plants.”
Cutleaf Teasel Dipsacus laciniatus Prohibited Invasive Missouri lists Cutleaf Teasel under “Thistles and thistle-like plants.”
Field Bindweed Convolvulus arvensis Prohibited Invasive Missouri lists Field Bindweed under “Vines.”
Fuller's Teasel Dipsacus fullonum Prohibited Missouri lists Fuller's Teasel under “Thistles and thistle-like plants.”
Johnsongrass Sorghum halepense Prohibited Invasive Missouri lists Johnsongrass under “Grasses.”
Kudzu Pueraria montana Prohibited Invasive Missouri lists Kudzu under “Vines.”Plant instead: Hercules's Club, Western Soapberry, American Plum
Marijuana Cannabis sativa Prohibited Invasive Missouri lists Marijuana under “Other species.”
Multiflora Rose Rosa multiflora Prohibited Invasive Missouri lists Multiflora Rose under “Other species.”Plant instead: Crimsoneyed Rosemallow, Hairy Lespedeza, American Black Elderberry
Nodding Plumeless Thistle Carduus nutans Prohibited Invasive Missouri lists Nodding Plumeless Thistle under “Thistles and thistle-like plants.”
Purple Loosestrife Lythrum salicaria Prohibited Invasive Missouri lists Purple Loosestrife under “Other species.”Plant instead: Crimsoneyed Rosemallow, Hairy Lespedeza, American Black Elderberry
Scotch Cottonthistle Onopordum acanthium Prohibited Invasive Missouri lists Scotch Cottonthistle under “Thistles and thistle-like plants.”
Spotted Knapweed Centaurea stoebe Prohibited Invasive Missouri lists Spotted Knapweed under “Other species.”

What the tags mean

Prohibited Restricted Listed

A legal status. Missouri names the plant in statute. Under a nursery rule that means it may not be sold, propagated, or moved; under an agricultural weed law it means landowners must control it. The cited rule says which, in Missouri’s own words, in the last column.

Invasive

An ecological finding, and a different question from the law. GRIIS — the Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species — lists the plant as invasive in the United States. Most invasive plants carry no state listing at all and are sold freely, so a plant without this tag is not thereby safe, and a plant without a legal chip is not thereby harmless.

Where this comes from

Missouri listings
2 CSR 70-45.005. Read the rule.
Invasive status
GRIIS, the Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species, via GBIF. A scientific register with no legal force; it is cited separately from the statute above because the two disagree far more often than they agree.
Status wording
Each determination is written as a sentence, with Missouri’s own term for the plant reproduced verbatim inside it. The Prohibited / Restricted / Listed chips are Ezina’s normalisation across 42 states and are not the legal term.
Nativity
USDA PLANTS county distribution layer, surfaced through the county checker.

Regulated next door, but not in Missouri

Plants that two or more states bordering Missouri regulate, and Missouri does not. A listing is a legal act rather than an ecological one, so a plant can be a documented problem here and still be sold here.

Questions

What plants are illegal to sell in Missouri?

Missouri's list is an agricultural noxious-weed law, which governs control and spread on farmland and rights of way rather than what a nursery may sell. 12 plants are named under 2 CSR 70-45.005. A noxious-weed listing does not automatically ban nursery sale, so check the rule itself before assuming a plant cannot be bought or sold.

Is my plant invasive in Missouri?

Search the table on this page, or enter the plant's name in Ezina's checker to get its Missouri status alongside whether USDA records it as native to your specific county. Every answer links the record it came from.

Does a plant missing from this list mean it is safe to plant in Missouri?

No. This page reproduces what Missouri regulates, and a state list is a legal instrument rather than an ecological verdict. Plenty of plants spread aggressively without ever being listed, and states add species years after the problem is documented.

Grow natives easily with Ezina

How it works

We provide the tools you need to succeed.

The Ezina app identifying a plant: a live camera view framing pink coneflowers, with Plant, Disease/Insect, and Both scan modes.
010.1Identify

Add a plant

Snap a photo or type the name. The app pulls 4,000+ species from peer-reviewed horticulture data and starts a care plan tailored to your zone, the local weather, and the time of year.

The Ezina app’s care screen: water needs showing status Okay, last watered 12 days ago, a suggested volume, and a treatment section.
010.2Care

Get a care plan

A schedule built from local rain, temperature, and sun, not a fixed weekly cadence. You get a single notification when a plant actually needs water. Easily add treatments for diseases and pests.

The Ezina Dig planner: a starting-plan site map with suggested garden beds you can draw with your finger.
010.3Plan

Explore new options

Our garden planner Dig helps you understand what works best for your location and makes suggestions based off your long term goals.

Add a plant

Snap a photo or type the name. The app pulls 4,000+ species from peer-reviewed horticulture data and starts a care plan tailored to your zone, the local weather, and the time of year.

Get Ezina for your garden Explore Ezina

Compiled from peer-reviewed research, USDA documentation,
and direct scientific observation across the 48 contiguous states.

Leave a forwarding address
To be read on:Read on: