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

North Carolina noxious weeds

North Carolina (NC) lists 15 plants as noxious weeds under 02 NCAC 48A .1701. North Carolina'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 North Carolina?

North Carolina names 15 plants, including Canada Thistle, Eurasian Watermilfoil and Nodding Plumeless Thistle. A noxious-weed listing obliges control and limits movement; it does not by itself ban nursery sale. 10 of the 15 are also flagged invasive by GRIIS, which is an ecological finding rather than a ruling by North Carolina. Checked against 02 NCAC 48A .1701 on July 20, 2026.

Asiatic Tearthumb – Polygonum perfoliatum IntroducedInvasive

Asiatic Tearthumb (Polygonum perfoliatum)
Photo by Dalgial / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Invasive in the US, and recorded in 2 of North Carolina’s 100 counties. North Carolina lists Asiatic Tearthumb under “Class B.”

Beach Vitex – Vitex rotundifolia Not recorded hereProhibited

Beach Vitex (Vitex rotundifolia)
Photo by Dalgial / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Recorded in no North Carolina county. North Carolina lists Beach Vitex under “Class B.”

Bushkiller – Cayratia japonica IntroducedInvasive

Bushkiller (Cayratia japonica)
Photo by KENPEI / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Invasive in the US, and recorded in 4 of North Carolina’s 100 counties. North Carolina lists Bushkiller under “Class B.”

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 10 of North Carolina’s 100 counties. North Carolina lists Canada Thistle under “Class B.”

Creeping Yellowcress – Rorippa sylvestris IntroducedInvasive

Creeping Yellowcress (Rorippa sylvestris)
Photo by Unknown photographer / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Invasive in the US, and recorded in 1 of North Carolina’s 100 counties. North Carolina lists Creeping Yellowcress under “Class B.”

Crested Floatingheart – Nymphoides cristata Not recorded hereProhibited

Crested Floatingheart (Nymphoides cristata)
Self-made / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Recorded in no North Carolina county. North Carolina lists Crested Floatingheart under “Class A.”

Eurasian Watermilfoil – Myriophyllum spicatum Not recorded hereInvasive

Eurasian Watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum)
CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Invasive in the US, and recorded in no North Carolina county. North Carolina lists Eurasian Watermilfoil under “Class B.”

Large-Flower Primrose-Willow – Ludwigia grandiflora subsp. hexapetala Not recorded hereProhibited

Recorded in no North Carolina county. North Carolina lists Large-Flower Primrose-Willow under “Class B.”

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 1 of North Carolina’s 100 counties. North Carolina lists Nodding Plumeless Thistle under “Class B.”

Oriental Bittersweet – Celastrus orbiculatus IntroducedInvasive

Oriental Bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus)
Photo by Unknown photographer / Public domain / Wikimedia Commons

Invasive in the US, and recorded in 2 of North Carolina’s 100 counties. North Carolina lists Oriental Bittersweet under “Class C.”

Puncturevine – Tribulus terrestris IntroducedInvasive

Puncturevine (Tribulus terrestris)
Photo by Patrick J. Alexander / Public domain / via USDA PLANTS

Invasive in the US, and recorded in 2 of North Carolina’s 100 counties. North Carolina lists Puncturevine under “Class B.”

Spiny Plumeless Thistle – Carduus acanthoides IntroducedInvasive

Spiny Plumeless Thistle (Carduus acanthoides)
Photo by Howard, R.A / Public domain / Smithsonian Institution, Richard A. Howard Photograph Collection / via USDA PLANTS

Invasive in the US, and recorded in 4 of North Carolina’s 100 counties. North Carolina lists Spiny Plumeless Thistle under “Class B.”

Swamp Stonecrop – Crassula helmsii Not recorded hereProhibited

Swamp Stonecrop (Crassula helmsii)
Photo by ashley BALSAM baz / CC BY 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Recorded in no North Carolina county. North Carolina lists Swamp Stonecrop under “Class A.”

Water Snowflake – Nymphoides indica Not recorded hereProhibited

Water Snowflake (Nymphoides indica)
Photo by Edward Jaser / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Recorded in no North Carolina county. North Carolina lists Water Snowflake under “Class A.”

Yellow Floatingheart – Nymphoides peltata Not recorded hereInvasive

Yellow Floatingheart (Nymphoides peltata)
Photo by G.A. Cooper / CC0 / Smithsonian Open Access / via USDA PLANTS

Invasive in the US, and recorded in no North Carolina county. North Carolina lists Yellow Floatingheart under “Class A.”

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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
Asiatic Tearthumb Polygonum perfoliatum ProhibitedInvasiveNorth Carolina says “Class B” —
Beach Vitex Vitex rotundifolia ProhibitedNorth Carolina says “Class B” —
Bushkiller Cayratia japonica ProhibitedInvasiveNorth Carolina says “Class B” —
Canada Thistle Cirsium arvense ProhibitedInvasiveNorth Carolina says “Class B” —
Creeping Yellowcress Rorippa sylvestris ProhibitedInvasiveNorth Carolina says “Class B” —
Crested Floatingheart Nymphoides cristata ProhibitedNorth Carolina says “Class A” —
Eurasian Watermilfoil Myriophyllum spicatum ProhibitedInvasiveNorth Carolina says “Class B” —
Large-Flower Primrose-Willow Ludwigia grandiflora subsp. hexapetala ProhibitedNorth Carolina says “Class B” —
Nodding Plumeless Thistle Carduus nutans ProhibitedInvasiveNorth Carolina says “Class B” —
Oriental Bittersweet Celastrus orbiculatus ProhibitedInvasiveNorth Carolina says “Class C” American Bittersweet, Trumpet Honeysuckle, Yellow Passionflower
Puncturevine Tribulus terrestris ProhibitedInvasiveNorth Carolina says “Class B” —
Spiny Plumeless Thistle Carduus acanthoides ProhibitedInvasiveNorth Carolina says “Class B” —
Swamp Stonecrop Crassula helmsii ProhibitedNorth Carolina says “Class A” —
Water Snowflake Nymphoides indica ProhibitedNorth Carolina says “Class A” —
Yellow Floatingheart Nymphoides peltata ProhibitedInvasiveNorth Carolina says “Class A” —

What the tags mean

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

North Carolina listings
02 NCAC 48A .1701. 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 North Carolina’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 North Carolina

Plants that two or more states bordering North Carolina regulate, and North Carolina 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 North Carolina invasive species list?

Not under that name. North Carolina's legal list is a noxious-weed list: 15 plants named under 02 NCAC 48A .1701, 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 10 of these 15 as invasive in the lower 48 states. That is an ecological finding, not a ruling by North Carolina. This page shows both side by side.

What plants are illegal to sell in North Carolina?

North Carolina'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. 15 plants are named under 02 NCAC 48A .1701. 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 North Carolina?

Search the table on this page for North Carolina's legal determination, then look for the Invasive chip beside it, which is a separate ecological finding from GRIIS rather than a ruling by North Carolina. 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 North Carolina 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 North Carolina?

Not necessarily, and the distinction matters. North Carolina'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. 02 NCAC 48A .1701 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 North Carolina?

No. This page reproduces what North Carolina 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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