See PA’s list of banned plants

The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture maintains a list of plants banned in the Keystone State.

The state terms the banned plants as “noxious weeds.”

Noxious weeds are plants deemed harmful to public health, crops, livestock, agricultural land, or other property. They are banned from sale, transport, planting, or propagation within the state.

The banned plants are categorized into three classes (A, B, and C) based on their spread, eradication potential, and presence within Pennsylvania. The federal noxious weed list is also included by default as Class C weeds.

Class A Noxious Weed –

• Is established in Pennsylvania

• Is geographically limited

• Is intended to be eradicated

Class B Noxious Weed –

• Is widely established in Pennsylvania

• Cannot feasibly be eradicated

Class C Noxious Weed –

• Is not known to exist in Pennsylvania

• Poses a potential threat if introduced into Pennsylvania

• Is listed on the Federal Noxious Weed List

Noxious Weeds Lists

Class A Noxious Weeds

• Giant Hogweed – Heracleum mantegazzianum (Active Field Program)

• Goatsrue – Galega officinalis (Active Field Program)

• Kudzu – Pueraria lobata

• Palmer amaranth – Amaranthus palmeri

• Waterhemp – Amaranthus rudis

• Tall waterhemp – Amaranthus tuberculatus

• Animated oat – Avena sterilis

• Dodder – Cuscuta spp. (Except for native species)

• Hydrilla – Hydrilla verticillata

• Broomrape – Orobanche spp. (Except for native species)

• Wavyleaf basketgrass – Oplismenus hirtellus

• European frogbit – Hydrocharis morsus-ranae

• European water chestnut – Trapa natans

• Water primrose – Ludwigia grandiflora ssp. hexapetala

• Brazilian waterweed – Egeria densa 

• Yellow floating heart – Nymphoides peltata

• Ravenna Grass – Tripidium ravennae [Synonym: Saccharum ravennae] [Synonym: Erianthus ravennae]

• Wild Chervil – Anthriscus sylvestris

• Chocolate vine – Akebia quinata

• Japanese privet – Ligustrum japonicum

• Parrot feather – Myriophyllum aquaticum 

• Starry Stonewort – Nitellopsis obtusa

• Imperata cylndrica ‘Red Baron’ 

Class B Noxious Weeds

• Bull thistle or Spear thistle – Cirsium vulgare

• Canada Thistle – Cirsium arvense

• Musk Thistle or Nodding Thistle – Carduus nutans

• Johnson Grass – Sorghum halepense

• Mile-a-Minute – Persicaria perfoliata

• Multiflora Rose – Rosa multiflora

• Purple Loosestrife – Exotic Lythrum species, including Lythrum salicaria L. (commonly known as purple loosestrife), the Lythrum salicaria complex and Lythrum virgatum L. (commonly known as European wand loosestrife), their cultivars and any combination thereof.

• Shattercane – Sorghum bicolor

• Poison hemlock – Conium maculatum

• Tree-of-heaven – Ailanthus altissima 

• Wild parsnip – Pastinaca sativa (except for non-wild cultivated varieties)

• Japanese knotweed – Reynoutria japonica

• Giant knotweed – Reynoutria sachalinensis 

• Bohemian knotweed – Reynoutria x bohemica 

• Japanese Angelica Tree – Aralia elata

• Japanese hops – Humulus japonicus

• Oriental bittersweet – Celastrus orbiculatus

• Black swallow-wort – Cynanchum louiseae/Vincetoxicum nigrum

• Pale Swallow-wort – Cynanchum rossicum/Vincetoxicum rossicum

• Mugwort – Artemisia vulgaris

• Japanese Barberry – Berberis thunbergii (Approved exempted varieties)

• Garlic mustard – Allaria petiolata

• Japanese stiltgrass – Microstegium vimineum

• Callery pear – Pyrus calleryana

• Eurasian watermilfoil – Myriophyllum spicatum

• Common buckthorn – Rhamnus cathartica 

• Glossy buckthorn – Rhamnus frangula [Synonym: Frangula alnus] (Rhamnus ‘Fine Line’- Approved exempted variety)

• Lesser celandine – Ficaria verna

• Burning bush – Euonymus alatus

• Chinese privet – Ligustrum sinense

• European privet – Ligustrum vulgare

• Border privet – Ligustrum obtusifolium 

• Amur honeysuckle – Lonicera maackii

• Morrow’s honeysuckle – Lonicera morrowii

• Bell’s honeysuckle – Lonicera x bella

• Tatarian honeysuckle – Lonicera tatarica

• Standish/Fragrant honeysuckle – Lonicera standishii

Class C Noxious Weeds

• Water soldier – Stratiotes aloides