Ezina · A field manual for plant care · United StatesVol. I · Ed. 2027 · Proof copy

Maryland invasive plants

Maryland (MD) regulates 19 invasive plants under COMAR 15.06.04.06. Maryland's list is a trade restriction, which governs what may be sold, propagated, or moved within the state — in plain terms, which plants are illegal to sell here.

Maryland invasive species list

Maryland restricts 19 plants, including Amur Honeysuckle, Fig Buttercup and Paleyellow Iris. Plants marked Prohibited may not be sold, propagated, or moved within Maryland. 14 of the 19 are also flagged invasive by GRIIS, which is an ecological finding rather than a ruling by Maryland. Checked against COMAR 15.06.04.06 on July 20, 2026.

Amur Honeysuckle – Lonicera maackii Not recorded hereInvasive

Amur Honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii)
Photo by Herman, D.E., et al / Public domain / ND State Soil Conservation Committee / via USDA PLANTS

Invasive in the US, and recorded in no Maryland county. Maryland lists Amur Honeysuckle under “Tier 1 invasive plant.”

Fig Buttercup – Ranunculus ficaria Not recorded hereInvasive

Fig Buttercup (Ranunculus ficaria)
Photo by Michal Osmenda from Brussels, Belgium / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Invasive in the US, and recorded in no Maryland county. Maryland lists Fig Buttercup under “Tier 1 invasive plant.”

Incised Fumewort – Corydalis incisa Not recorded hereProhibited

Incised Fumewort (Corydalis incisa)
Photo by KENPEI / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Recorded in no Maryland county. Maryland lists Incised Fumewort under “Tier 1 invasive plant.”

Paleyellow Iris – Iris pseudacorus IntroducedInvasive

Paleyellow Iris (Iris pseudacorus)
Photo by Howard, R.A / Public domain / Smithsonian Institution, Richard A. Howard Photograph Collection / via USDA PLANTS

Invasive in the US, and recorded in 5 of Maryland’s 24 counties. Maryland lists Paleyellow Iris under “Tier 1 invasive plant.”

Purple Winter Creeper – Euonymus fortunei Not recorded hereInvasive

Purple Winter Creeper (Euonymus fortunei)
Photo by James H. Miller, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org / CC BY 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Invasive in the US, and recorded in no Maryland county. Maryland lists Purple Winter Creeper under “Tier 1 invasive plant.”

Shining Geranium – Geranium lucidum Not recorded hereProhibited

Shining Geranium (Geranium lucidum)
Photo by Johann Georg Sturm (Painter: Jacob Sturm ) / Public domain / Wikimedia Commons

Recorded in no Maryland county. Maryland lists Shining Geranium under “Tier 1 invasive plant.”

Bee-Bee Tree – Tetradium daniellii Not recorded hereRestricted

Bee-Bee Tree (Tetradium daniellii)
Photo by Chhe ( talk ) / Public domain / Wikimedia Commons

Recorded in no Maryland county. Maryland lists Bee-Bee Tree under “Tier 2 invasive plant.”

Border Privet – Ligustrum obtusifolium Not recorded hereInvasive

Border Privet (Ligustrum obtusifolium)
Photo by Mason Brock ( Masebrock ) / Public domain / Wikimedia Commons

Invasive in the US, and recorded in no Maryland county. Maryland lists Border Privet under “Tier 2 invasive plant.”

Burning Bush – Euonymus alatus Not recorded hereInvasive

Burning Bush (Euonymus alatus)
Photo by Chris Barton/Gif absarnt / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Invasive in the US, and recorded in no Maryland county. Maryland lists Burning Bush under “Tier 2 invasive plant.”

Callery Pear – Pyrus calleryana Not recorded hereInvasive

Callery Pear (Pyrus calleryana)
Photo by Bruce Marlin / CC BY 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Invasive in the US, and recorded in no Maryland county. Maryland lists Callery Pear under “Tier 2 invasive plant.”

Chinese Wisteria – Wisteria sinensis Not recorded hereInvasive

Chinese Wisteria (Wisteria sinensis)
Photo by 3268zauber / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Invasive in the US, and recorded in no Maryland county. Maryland lists Chinese Wisteria under “Tier 2 invasive plant.”

Golden Bamboo – Phyllostachys aurea Not recorded hereRestricted

Golden Bamboo (Phyllostachys aurea)
Photo by Kurt Stüber [1] / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Recorded in no Maryland county. Maryland lists Golden Bamboo under “Tier 2 invasive plant.”

Heavenly Bamboo (nana) – Nandina domestica 'Purpurea' Not recorded hereInvasive

Heavenly Bamboo (nana) (Nandina domestica 'Purpurea')
Photo by KENPEI / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Invasive in the US, and recorded in no Maryland county. Maryland lists Heavenly Bamboo (nana) under “Tier 2 invasive plant.”

Japanese Angelica Tree – Aralia elata Not recorded hereInvasive

Japanese Angelica Tree (Aralia elata)
Photo by Tracey Slotta / Public domain / ARS Systematic Botany and Mycology Laboratory / via USDA PLANTS

Invasive in the US, and recorded in no Maryland county. Maryland lists Japanese Angelica Tree under “Tier 2 invasive plant.”

Japanese Barberry – Berberis thunbergii Not recorded hereInvasive

Japanese Barberry (Berberis thunbergii)
Photo by Howard, R.A / Public domain / Smithsonian Institution, Richard A. Howard Photograph Collection / via USDA PLANTS

Invasive in the US, and recorded in no Maryland county. Maryland lists Japanese Barberry under “Tier 2 invasive plant.”

Japanese Wisteria – Wisteria floribunda Not recorded hereInvasive

Japanese Wisteria (Wisteria floribunda)
Photo by Raul654 / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Invasive in the US, and recorded in no Maryland county. Maryland lists Japanese Wisteria under “Tier 2 invasive plant.”

Scotch Broom – Cytisus scoparius Not recorded hereInvasive

Scotch Broom (Cytisus scoparius)
Photo by Danny S. / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Invasive in the US, and recorded in no Maryland county. Maryland lists Scotch Broom under “Tier 2 invasive plant.”

Wisteria – Wisteria x formosa Not recorded hereRestricted

Recorded in no Maryland county. Maryland lists Wisteria under “Tier 2 invasive plant.”

Yellow Groove Bamboo – Phyllostachys aureosulcata Not recorded hereInvasive

Yellow Groove Bamboo (Phyllostachys aureosulcata)
CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Invasive in the US, and recorded in no Maryland county. Maryland lists Yellow Groove Bamboo under “Tier 2 invasive plant.”

Want to check a plant by photo or county?

Use our “Is it native” tool for free.

Compiled from the rule itself, retrieved July 20, 2026. Law changes; if you spot a listing we have wrong or stale, tell us at support@getezina.com.

The same list as a table
Plant Scientific name Status Plant instead
Amur Honeysuckle Lonicera maackii ProhibitedInvasiveMaryland says “Tier 1 invasive plant” Cane Reed, Highbush Blueberry, Possumhaw
Fig Buttercup Ranunculus ficaria ProhibitedInvasiveMaryland says “Tier 1 invasive plant” Blue Eyed Grass, Common Goldstar, Tall Cinquefoil
Incised Fumewort Corydalis incisa ProhibitedMaryland says “Tier 1 invasive plant” —
Paleyellow Iris Iris pseudacorus ProhibitedInvasiveMaryland says “Tier 1 invasive plant” Harlequin Blueflag, Virginia Iris, Pickerelweed
Purple Winter Creeper Euonymus fortunei ProhibitedInvasiveMaryland says “Tier 1 invasive plant” Cat Greenbrier, Ebony Spleenwort, Marginal Woodfern
Shining Geranium Geranium lucidum ProhibitedMaryland says “Tier 1 invasive plant” —
Bee-Bee Tree Tetradium daniellii RestrictedMaryland says “Tier 2 invasive plant” —
Border Privet Ligustrum obtusifolium RestrictedInvasiveMaryland says “Tier 2 invasive plant” Sandcherry, Common Winterberry, Common Juniper
Burning Bush Euonymus alatus RestrictedInvasiveMaryland says “Tier 2 invasive plant” Roundleaf Dogwood, Common Winterberry, Prairie Willow
Callery Pear Pyrus calleryana RestrictedInvasiveMaryland says “Tier 2 invasive plant” Swamp Bay, Nannyberry, Western Catalpa
Chinese Wisteria Wisteria sinensis RestrictedInvasiveMaryland says “Tier 2 invasive plant” Low False Bindweed, Cross Vine, Marsh Pea
Golden Bamboo Phyllostachys aurea RestrictedMaryland says “Tier 2 invasive plant” Cane Reed, Shortbeard Plumegrass, Sideoats Grama
Heavenly Bamboo (nana) Nandina domestica 'Purpurea' RestrictedInvasiveMaryland says “Tier 2 invasive plant” —
Japanese Angelica Tree Aralia elata RestrictedInvasiveMaryland says “Tier 2 invasive plant” Bigfruit Hawthorn, Common Sweetleaf, Roundleaf Dogwood
Japanese Barberry Berberis thunbergii RestrictedInvasiveMaryland says “Tier 2 invasive plant” Sandcherry, Roundleaf Dogwood, Common Winterberry
Japanese Wisteria Wisteria floribunda RestrictedInvasiveMaryland says “Tier 2 invasive plant” Low False Bindweed, Cross Vine, Marsh Pea
Scotch Broom Cytisus scoparius RestrictedInvasiveMaryland says “Tier 2 invasive plant” Sandcherry, Roundleaf Dogwood, Snowberry
Wisteria Wisteria x formosa RestrictedMaryland says “Tier 2 invasive plant” —
Yellow Groove Bamboo Phyllostachys aureosulcata RestrictedInvasiveMaryland says “Tier 2 invasive plant” Cane Reed, Shortbeard Plumegrass, Sideoats Grama

What the tags mean

Two separate findings. Invasive is ecological. The other three are legal statuses Maryland sets in statute, and which one applies turns on what the rule obliges, and of whom.

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 lower 48 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.
Prohibited
May not be sold, moved, propagated or possessed at all.
Restricted
May still be sold or held, but under conditions — retail signage, an identification tag, or a carve-out for sterile cultivars.
Listed
Designated, but the duty to control it falls on landowners rather than on the nursery trade.

Where this comes from

Maryland listings
COMAR 15.06.04.06. Read the rule.
Invasive status
GRIIS, the Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species, via GBIF, covering the lower 48 states. 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. Garden crops it flags only for spreading from cultivation are left out after review.
Status wording
The Prohibited / Restricted / Listed chips are Ezina’s normalisation across 44 states and are not the legal term. Where Maryland’s own word for a plant differs from the chip, it is quoted verbatim beneath it.
Nativity
USDA PLANTS county distribution layer, surfaced through the county checker.

Regulated next door, but not in Maryland

Plants that two or more states bordering Maryland regulate, and Maryland 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

Is there an official Maryland invasive species list?

Yes. COMAR 15.06.04.06 is Maryland's list, naming 19 plants under a trade restriction, which governs what may be sold, propagated, or moved within the state — in plain terms, which plants are illegal to sell here. GRIIS, the Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species, flags 14 of these 19 as invasive in the lower 48 states. That is an ecological finding, not a ruling by Maryland. This page shows both side by side.

What plants are illegal to sell in Maryland?

19 plants are regulated under COMAR 15.06.04.06. Plants marked Prohibited may not be sold, propagated, or moved within Maryland. Plants marked Restricted carry narrower limits set by the rule.

Is my plant invasive in Maryland?

Search the table on this page for Maryland's legal determination, then look for the Invasive chip beside it, which is a separate ecological finding from GRIIS rather than a ruling by Maryland. A plant can carry one, both, or neither. For an address-level answer, enter the plant's name in Ezina's checker to get its Maryland status alongside whether USDA records it as native to your specific county. Every answer links the record it came from.

Is it illegal to plant these in Maryland?

For the plants marked Prohibited, COMAR 15.06.04.06 bars selling, propagating, or moving them within Maryland. Whether planting one you already own is itself an offence depends on that rule's exact wording, which is why every plant on this page links the citation rather than us paraphrasing it. Plants marked Restricted carry narrower limits the rule sets out.

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

No. This page reproduces what Maryland 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.

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