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

Missouri noxious weeds

Missouri (MO) lists 12 plants as noxious weeds under 2 CSR 70-45.005. 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.

What plants are invasive in Missouri?

Missouri names 12 plants, including Purple Loosestrife, Canada Thistle and Nodding Plumeless Thistle. A noxious-weed listing obliges control and limits movement; it does not by itself ban nursery sale. 11 of the 12 are also flagged invasive by GRIIS, which is an ecological finding rather than a ruling by Missouri. Checked against 2 CSR 70-45.005 on July 20, 2026.

Canada Thistle – Cirsium arvense IntroducedInvasive

Canada Thistle (Cirsium arvense)
Photo by Richard Bartz, Munich aka Makro Freak / CC BY-SA 2.5 / Wikimedia Commons

Invasive in the US, and recorded in 11 of Missouri’s 115 counties. Missouri lists Canada Thistle under “Thistles and thistle-like plants.”

Cutleaf Teasel – Dipsacus laciniatus IntroducedInvasive

Cutleaf Teasel (Dipsacus laciniatus)
Photo by Simon Eugster --– Simon / ?! 07:03, 9 September 2007 (UTC) / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Invasive in the US, and recorded in 20 of Missouri’s 115 counties. Missouri lists Cutleaf Teasel under “Thistles and thistle-like plants.”

Field Bindweed – Convolvulus arvensis IntroducedInvasive

Field Bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis)
Photo by Patrick J. Alexander / Public domain / via USDA PLANTS

Invasive in the US, and recorded in 70 of Missouri’s 115 counties. Missouri lists Field Bindweed under “Vines.”

Fuller's Teasel – Dipsacus fullonum IntroducedProhibited

Fuller's Teasel (Dipsacus fullonum)
Photo by MPF / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Recorded in 38 of Missouri’s 115 counties. Missouri lists Fuller's Teasel under “Thistles and thistle-like plants.”

Johnsongrass – Sorghum halepense IntroducedInvasive

Johnsongrass (Sorghum halepense)
Photo by Forest & Kim Starr / CC BY 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Invasive in the US, and recorded in 43 of Missouri’s 115 counties. Missouri lists Johnsongrass under “Grasses.”

Kudzu – Pueraria montana IntroducedInvasive

Kudzu (Pueraria montana)
Photo by Schurdl / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Invasive in the US, and recorded in 8 of Missouri’s 115 counties. Missouri lists Kudzu under “Vines.”

Marijuana – Cannabis sativa IntroducedInvasive

Marijuana (Cannabis sativa)
Photo by Howard, R.A / Public domain / Smithsonian Institution, Richard A. Howard Photograph Collection / via USDA PLANTS

Invasive in the US, and recorded in 31 of Missouri’s 115 counties. Missouri lists Marijuana under “Other species.”

Multiflora Rose – Rosa multiflora IntroducedInvasive

Multiflora Rose (Rosa multiflora)
Photo by Famartin / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Invasive in the US, and recorded in 12 of Missouri’s 115 counties. Missouri lists Multiflora Rose under “Other species.”

Nodding Plumeless Thistle – Carduus nutans IntroducedInvasive

Nodding Plumeless Thistle (Carduus nutans)
Photo by Andreiflorea993 / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Invasive in the US, and recorded in 5 of Missouri’s 115 counties. Missouri lists Nodding Plumeless Thistle under “Thistles and thistle-like plants.”

Purple Loosestrife – Lythrum salicaria IntroducedInvasive

Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria)
Photo by Ivar Leidus / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Invasive in the US, and recorded in 4 of Missouri’s 115 counties. Missouri lists Purple Loosestrife under “Other species.”

Scotch Cottonthistle – Onopordum acanthium IntroducedInvasive

Scotch Cottonthistle (Onopordum acanthium)
Photo by penarc / Public domain / Wikimedia Commons

Invasive in the US, and recorded in 3 of Missouri’s 115 counties. Missouri lists Scotch Cottonthistle under “Thistles and thistle-like plants.”

Spotted Knapweed – Centaurea stoebe IntroducedInvasive

Spotted Knapweed (Centaurea stoebe)
Photo by Matt Lavin from Bozeman, Montana, USA / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Invasive in the US, and recorded in 22 of Missouri’s 115 counties. Missouri lists Spotted Knapweed under “Other species.”

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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
Canada Thistle Cirsium arvense ProhibitedInvasiveMissouri says “Thistles and thistle-like plants” —
Cutleaf Teasel Dipsacus laciniatus ProhibitedInvasiveMissouri says “Thistles and thistle-like plants” —
Field Bindweed Convolvulus arvensis ProhibitedInvasiveMissouri says “Vines” —
Fuller's Teasel Dipsacus fullonum ProhibitedMissouri says “Thistles and thistle-like plants” —
Johnsongrass Sorghum halepense ProhibitedInvasiveMissouri says “Grasses” —
Kudzu Pueraria montana ProhibitedInvasiveMissouri says “Vines” Trumpet Honeysuckle, Muscadine, American Wisteria
Marijuana Cannabis sativa ProhibitedInvasiveMissouri says “Other species” —
Multiflora Rose Rosa multiflora ProhibitedInvasiveMissouri says “Other species” White Meadowsweet, Smooth Rose, Downy Arrowwood
Nodding Plumeless Thistle Carduus nutans ProhibitedInvasiveMissouri says “Thistles and thistle-like plants” —
Purple Loosestrife Lythrum salicaria ProhibitedInvasiveMissouri says “Other species” Great St. Johnswort, Canada Goldenrod, Missouri Ironweed
Scotch Cottonthistle Onopordum acanthium ProhibitedInvasiveMissouri says “Thistles and thistle-like plants” —
Spotted Knapweed Centaurea stoebe ProhibitedInvasiveMissouri says “Other species” —

What the tags mean

Two separate findings. Invasive is ecological. The other three are legal statuses Missouri 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

Missouri listings
2 CSR 70-45.005. 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 Missouri’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 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

Is there an official Missouri invasive species list?

Not under that name. Missouri's legal list is a noxious-weed list: 12 plants named under 2 CSR 70-45.005, an agricultural noxious-weed law, which governs control and spread on farmland and rights of way rather than what a nursery may sell. GRIIS, the Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species, flags 11 of these 12 as invasive in the lower 48 states. That is an ecological finding, not a ruling by Missouri. This page shows both side by side.

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 for Missouri's legal determination, then look for the Invasive chip beside it, which is a separate ecological finding from GRIIS rather than a ruling by Missouri. 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 Missouri 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 Missouri?

Not necessarily, and the distinction matters. Missouri's list is an agricultural noxious-weed law: it obliges landowners to control these plants and restricts moving them, rather than making the act of planting one an offence in itself. 2 CSR 70-45.005 is the text that says what is actually required of you, and it is linked beside every plant here.

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.

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