I don't know what the illegal plants are, but I do know Kudzu and I hope it doesn't make its' way to Oklahoma. I've seen it in Georgia and it just takes over everything-even junk cars.

Unfortunately, Lori, there are no real noxious weed laws in Oklahoma. This drives the Kansas borderlands neighbors crazy with keeping Johnson grass under control and other plants. Kansas has the most restrictive laws concerning this as any state I've seen, with 13 listed weeds, including Kudzu.
Texas also needs to adopt a noxios weed law. Those are the only 2 Great Plains states with no noxious weed laws, period.
Yes, Kudzu [actually the genus name of this plant] is already in Texas and parts of Oklahoma, though in Oklahoma, it is not widespread. I ran across a single plant, near Ponca City, about 10 years ago, growing up a Catalpa tree. I came back later hoping to collect some seeds, but never found any. I suppose the single plant could not pollinate itself and the viable seed[s] was dropped by a migrating bird.

Hi Lori,

After reading your post this morning, I googled and searched and searched for a noxious weed list or prohibited plant list for Oklahoma and couldn't find one. Then I came back to this post and read Linda's (Tomato Worm's) comments that there are no real noxious weed laws in Oklahoma. Well, that explains why I couldn't find one!

However, under some Oklahoma seed regulations I did find some seeds that either (a) cannot be sold at all in Oklahoma, including being "accidentally" mixed in with other seeds or (b) should not be sold at all in Oklahoma, but are tolerated as a very low percentage in packaged or bulk seed. Here they are:

1) Balloon Vine (Cardiospermum halicacabum)
2) Bindweed, Field (Convolvulus avenis) (Solanum elaeagni folium)
3) Bindweed, Hedge (Convolvulus sepium)
4) Blueweed, Texas (Helianthus ciliaris)
5) Buckwheat, Wild (Polygonum convolvulus)
6) Cheat or Chess (Bromus secalinus)
7) Cocklebur (Xanthium spp.)
8) Corncockle (Agrostemma githago_
9) Darnel (Lolium temulentum)

10. Dock (Rumex spp.)
11. Dodder (Cuscuta spp.)
12. Foxtail, Giant (Setaria faberi)
13. Goatgrass, Jointed (Aegilops cylindrica)
14. Horse netle (Solanum carolinense)
15. Johnsongrass (Sorghum Halepense)
16. Knapweed, Russian (Centaurea picris)
17. Moonflower or Giant Morning glory) (Calonyction muricatum)
18. Morning Glory, Wild (Ipomoea spp.)
19. Musk Thistle (Carduus nutans, L.)
20. Mustard, Wild (Brassica spp.)
21. Nightshade, Purple
22. Nutgrass (Cyperus rotundus)
23. Oat, Wild (Avena fatua, Avenasterilis, other wild, non-cultivated Avens spp,)
24. Onion, Wild or Garlic (Allium sp.)
25. Plantain, Bracted (Plantago aristata)
26. Plantain, Buckthorn (Plantago lanceolata)
27. Quackgrass (Agropyron repens)
28. Red-Horned Poppu (Glaucium corniculatum)
29. Sericea Lespedeza (Lespedeza Cuneata)
30. Scotch Thistle (Onoprodum acanthium)
31. Serrated Tussock (Nassella trichotoma)
32. Sicklepod (Cassia obtusifolia)
33. Sorrel, Sheep or Red (Rumex acetosella)
34. Thistle, Canada (Cirsium arvense)
35. Whitetop or Hoary Cress (Cardaria draba)
36. Yerba de Tajo (Eclipta alba)

Please note that only specific items are prohibited. For example, WILD morning glories of the imomoea species are prohibited, but that does not mean that the domesticated/cultivated varieties that we all love to grow are prohibited!

I hope this list is helpful.

As far as I know, the only weed species that the ag folks in our part of the state really worry about and work to erradicate are the thistle species that are on this list. They are prohibited by law, and you can be forced to remove them from your property before they set seed.

Dawn

Thanks all. The specific reason I was asking for this info is because a friend is going to be giving me some Cyprus Spurge plants. I know they are very invasive, but I have 20 acres of land with a creek running through the northern boundary. The creek bed is slowly eroding away, so I thought by planting the Cyprus there, it would slow down the erosion. But I didnt want to plant something that I would get into trouble over! LOL
So looks like I will be in the clear on this! Thanks again!

well there go my plans to sow my wild seeds!

Actually, I ordered cardiospermum from Select Seeds one year and they actually sent it, despite the disclaimer in the ad that they "could not send to Oklahoma".....

I never planted the seeds.

Susan

I see the moonflower morning glory in all the seed racks in all the garden centers or nurseries I go to. Of what's illegal in Kansas, 2 [includes 3 and 4],6,13,15,16,19,27,29,34 and 35 are declared noxious by the state's ag dept. Make sure this "cypress spurge' is not the same as leafy spurge, one of Kansas' worst weeds in the eastern sector. The native European sphinx moth, Hyles euphorbiae, was deliberately imported by the USDA for biological control of leafy spurge. So far, they really don't work, but are too host-specific to ever become a pest, anyway. personally, I'd like to see a few million tetrio sphinx releasd in the Midwest to kep the hemp dogbanes out of our soybean and corn fields.
I have no idea what "purple nightshade' is but I've never considered Carolina horsenettle to be any serious problem. When I was 10 years old, I thought the horsenettle was a real, wild tomato. You all know what's needed for bio control of any nightshades except buffalo bur, which no hornworm can touch.

I hate to say this, but most of the plants on the list already grow wild in this part of Okla. Especially in my yard. SIGH

Broken Lady,

I agree with you. I have so many of them either on our property or on the property around us that it is laughable. I don't know what good it does to try to keep the seed out of Oklahoma now, when we already have so much of this stuff growing wild. I guess they've got to start somewhere, though!

Happy Gardening & Weed-Pulling!

Dawn

Maybe this is just why Oklahoma needs to draft some serious noxious weed laws.

I'm thinking that the purple nightshade may be the purple angel's trumpet, which is in the solanacaea family also, along with tomatoes. They call it "horn of plenty".

Susan

Tomato Worm - the Moonflower on OkieDawn's list is not the same genus/specie as the white moonflower we see in the garden centers. Besides, they're not invasive in my yard; I have a heck of a time growing the dang things.

Carol

Carol, it's still a large, white morning glory. What's the real difference?

Carol,

Do you know that for several years I had a heck of a time getting Moonflower vine to sprout and grow in my yard too.
Finally (and I can't even begin to figure out why) it began re-seeding itself annually, although not in huge amounts like morning glories do, and it now re-seeds in 4 locations. So, keep trying and maybe the same re-seeding magic will happen in your yard too!

Linda,

I think the difference is the DEGREE OF AGGRESSIVENESS exhibited by the Calonyction muricatum/aka Ipomoea turbinata (prohibited) as opposed to the less aggressive cultivated moonflower we love & grow, which is Calonyction aculeatum/aka Ipomoea alba.

Also, not to quibble, but the flower of the Calonyction muricatum is purple, and it is sold on E-Bay and in some states using "Purple Moonflower" as its common name. By the way, the Calonyction muricatum is also prohibited in Arizona and South Carolina due to its extreme invasiveness.

And, while we're on the topic of plants on "the list", I think the purple nightshade they have on the list is probably Silver-leaf Nightshade (Solanum elaeagnifolium) which grows everywhere here in southern Oklahoma, including in cracks in the street or sidewalk AND it is related to Carolina Horse Nettle, which is also on the list, so that's my best guess on that one. And it is only a guess because the list said only "Purple Nightshade" although it gave the Latin name for every other seed.

Dawn

You are talking about agressive plants of which there are many. (and many are here). 'Illegal' plants include opium poppy which is illegal in the USA and Canada, Marijuana, which is a cash crop in some areas, and thistle is outlawed in some counties. Nor aware of othe 'illegal' plants but many that should be used with caution. EP

Someone gave some cypress spurge to us a few years ago. It is a beautiful , soft, little plant. Have not noticed it being as agressive as some other pretty and agressive plants, including the pink primrose, the Confederate violet, ground ivy, soapwort, and so forth. This year 'wild flowers' are all over the place and for all I care they can stay there as long as they don't take over everything else. EP

Hey, at least pink evening primrose is a NATIVE plant. Leafy spurge is introduced.

EP,

I had forgotten about the plants that are illegal under drug laws, like marijuana and opium poppies!!! And I am married to a law enforcement officer, so you'd think I would have thought of them!

We also have a bumper crop of wildflowers and I let almost every one of them stay where they are, except for the ground ivy which keeps popping up in my rose beds. It seems like 2 pop up for every one I pull up!

I hope all these wildflowers set lots of seed for next year and that we get rain and such at the right time for them to grow for next year. I am very greedy with the wildflowers and no matter how many we have, I always want more, more, more!

Dawn

I wanted to know if it was illegal to plant moonflowers in Oklahoma, so I emailed a master gardener to ask about it. This was her reply, in my own words, since I didn't ask permission to post her direct information. They are not illegal to grow in the state of Oklahoma. They are, however, a member of the nightshade family, which makes them very poisonous to humans and animals alike. I learned that if you remove the seed pods when they develop, you eliminate the risk. Don't let them dry on the plant or in an area where little hands or animals can get to them.