The State of Virginia recently added 12 plant species to its list of noxious weeds.
The Board of Agriculture and Consumer Services proposed regulatory action to prevent the spread of the already established weeds in the state and the introduction of the listed weeds that are unknown in the Commonwealth.
The action will help protect the agricultural and natural resources across the Commonwealth from the debilitating effects of noxious weeds.
The New Plants on the Virginia List of Noxious Weeds
The 12 new plants added to the list of noxious weeds are:
- Two-horned Trapa (Trapa bispinosa)
- Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata)
- Chinese Yam (Dioscorea polystachya)
- Autumn Olive (Elaeagnus umbellata)
- Lesser Celandine (Ficaria verna)
- Bicolor Lespedeza (Lespedeza bicolor)
- Amur Honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii)
- Japanese Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica)
- Common Reed (Phragmites australis)
- Kudzu (Pueraria montana)
- Japanese Knotweed (Reynoutria japonica)
- Siberian Elm (Ulmus pumila)
The two-horned trapa is now listed under the “Tier 2” list of noxious weeds, which identifies weeds that can be controlled or eradicated.
The rest of the weeds are listed as “Tier 3’ weeds, which are weeds that cannot be feasibly eradicated.
According to Larry Nichols, the Division of Consumer Services director in the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the 12 weeds are highly adaptable to their environment, copious seed producers, and can displace native plant species through aggressive and rapid growth.
“Adding these 12 plants provides an advantage to citizens, as the regulation will serve to prevent the introduction of noxious weeds to uninfested areas or slow the spread from areas that are currently infested,” he added.
Visit the Virginia Register of Regulations for information on the updated noxious weeds list and the required permits for research, safe removal, and disposal of the noxious weeds.
Lead Editor for Insight Weeds.