PlantLegitSouth Carolina: invasive & noxious plant laws
Under S.C. Code of Regulations ch. 27, article 10 (Reg. 27-135 and following), Clemson University's Department of Plant Industry maintains the official list of plant pests for South Carolina, reviewed at least annually by an advisory committee. Listed plant pests are regulated articles: DPI may quarantine, eradicate or control them, and moving or selling them is restricted. This page transcribes the 'Plants' section of the official list.
Official sources
- Clemson DPI — official State Plant Pest List
- Federal Noxious Weed List, 7 CFR § 360.200 (USDA APHIS) — applies in every state
State plant pest — plants (Clemson DPI official list, S.C. Code Regs. ch. 27 art. 10) (103)
| Scientific name | Common name / notes |
|---|---|
| Aeginetia spp. | in broom rape family |
| Ageratina adenophora | Sprengel Croftonweed, Croftonweek, eupatomy, sticky snake root, and throughwort |
| Agrostemma githago | Corn Cockle |
| Alectra spp. | |
| Alternanthera philoxeroides (Mart.) Griscb. | Alligatorweed, Pigweed |
| Alternanthera sessilis | Sessile joyweed |
| Asphodelus fistulosus | Onionweed, pink asphodel, hollow-stemmed asphodel |
| Avena sterilis, A. ludoviciana | Avena sterile oats, sterile oat, animated oat, wild oat, red oat, and winter wild oat |
| Azolla pinnata R. Brown | Pinnate mosquite fern, Mosquito fern, feathered mosquito fern, and water velvet |
| Calonyction muricatum | Purple Moonflower, lilacbell |
| Cardiospermum halicacabum | Balloonvine, balloon plant, and love in a puff |
| Carthamus oxyacantha | Carthamus cauox, Wild safflower, jeweled distaff thistle |
| Caulerpa taxifolia | Mediterranean clone, Green alga, and Killer alga |
| Centaurea repens | Russian Knapweed |
| Chrysopogon aciculatus | Pilipiliula, lesser speargrass, and Mackie's pest |
| Citrus reticulata var. unshu | Unshu Oranges and Satsuma orange |
| Cnicus benedictus | Blessed Thistle, St. Benedict's Thistle, holy thistle, and spotted thistle |
| Commelina benghalensis | Benghal dayflower, tropical spiderwort |
| Crupina vulgaris | Common crupina, bearded creeper, and starry scabious |
| Cuscuta spp. | Dodders, with some exceptions |
| Digitaria abyssinica | African couchgrass, Fingergrass |
| Digitaria velutina | Velvet fingergrass |
| Drymaria arenarioides H.B.K. | Alfombrilla |
| Egeria densa | Brazilian Elodea |
| Eichhornia azurea | Anchored waterhyacinth, Rooted waterhyacinth |
| Eichhornia crassipes | Water hyacinth |
| Elaeagnus angustifolia | Russian olive |
| Elaeagnus pungens | Thorny olive |
| Elaeagnus umbellata | Autumn olive |
| Emex australis | Three-cornered jack, double gee, and devils' thorn |
| Emex spinosa | Spiny emex and Devil's thorn |
| Euphorbia prunifolia | Painted euphorbia, Leafy spurge |
| Ficaria verna | Fig Buttercup, Lesser celandine and pilewort |
| Galega officinalis | Goat's rue, Galega, French lilac, and professor's weed |
| Helianthus ciliaris | Texas Blueweed, yerba parda |
| Heracleum mantegazzianum | Giant hogweed |
| Hydrilla verticillata | Hydrilla and water thyme |
| Hygrophila polysperma | Indian hygrophila, Miramar weed, and dwarf hygro |
| Imperata brasiliensis Trin. | Brazilian satintail |
| Imperata cylindrica | Cogongrass and Kunai grass |
| Indula brittanica | British yellowhead and meadow fleabane |
| Ipomoea aquatica | Water spinach, Swamp morning glory, and river spinach |
| Ipomoea triloba | Threelobe morning glory, Little bell, and Aiea morningglory |
| Ischaemum rugosum | Soramollagrass |
| Lagarosiphon major | Oxygen weed, African elodea and curly waterweed |
| Leptochloa chinensis | Chinese sprangletop and red sprankle top |
| Limnophila sessiliflora | Limnophila, Ambulia, and Asian marshweed |
| Lolium temulentum | Darnel and cockle |
| Ludwigia hexapetala | Water primrose |
| Ludwigia uruguayensis | Uraguay Primrose |
| Lycium ferocissimum | African boxthorn |
| Lythrum salicaria | Purple loosestrife |
| Melaleuca quinquenervia | Paperbark tree and punk tree |
| Melastoma malabathricum | Banks melastoma, Melastoma, and Indian rhododendron |
| Mikania cordata | African mile-a-minute |
| Mikania micrantha | Mile-a-minute |
| Mimosa invisa | Giant sensitiveplant |
| Mimosa pigra | Catclaw mimosa and giant sensitve tree |
| Monochoria hastata | Arrowleaved Monochoria and hastate-leaved pondweed |
| Monochoria vaginalis | Pickerel Weed and heartshaped false pickerel weed |
| Myriophyllum spicatum | Eurasian watermilfoil and spiked watermilfoil |
| Najas minor | Brittleleaf naid and brittle water nymph |
| Nassella trichotoma | Serrated tussock |
| Nymphoides cristata | Crested Floating Heart and floating snowflake |
| Nymphoides peltata | Yellow Floating heart and water-fringe |
| Opuntia aurantiaca | Jointed prickly pear, tiger-pear, and jointed cactus |
| Orobanche spp. Except the following broomrape species: O. bulbosa, O. californica, O. cooperi, O. corymbosa, O. dugesii, O. fasciculate, O. ludoviciana, O. multicaulis, O. parishii, O. pinorum, O. uniflorum, O. valida, O. vallicola | |
| Oryza longistaminata | Wild red rice and longstamen rice |
| Oryza punctata | Wild red rice |
| Oryza rufipogon | Brownbeard rice and red rice |
| Oryza sativa | Red Rice and Asian rice |
| Ottelia alismoides | Duck-lettuce |
| Paspalum scrobiculatum | Koda millet |
| Pennisetum clandestinum | Kikuyugrass |
| Pennisetum macrourum | African feathergrass |
| Pennisetum pedicellatum | Kyasumagrass and desho grass |
| Pennisetum polystachion | Missiongrass, Thinnapiergrass |
| Phragmites australis | Common Reed |
| Pistia stratiotes | Water lettuce, water cabbage, Nile cabbage, and shell flower |
| Polygonum perfoliatum | Mile-a-minute weed, devil's tail, Asiatic tearthrumb, and giant climbing tearthumb |
| Prosopis alpataco | Alpataco |
| Prosopis argentina | Algarobilla, algarrobo blanco, and white carob |
| Pyrus calleryana | Bradford Pear, Callery Pear |
| Rottboellia cochinchinensis | itchgrass, Raoulgrass, corngrass, Kokoma grass, Gruiena-fowl grass, jointed grass, Shamwa grass, and kelly grass |
| Rubus fruticosus | Wild blackberry and shrubby blackberry |
| Rubus moluccanus | Molucca raspberry, Molucca bramble, and broad-leafed bramble |
| Saccharum spontaneum | Wild sugarcane and Kans grass |
| Sagittaria sagittifolia | Arrowhead |
| Salsola vermiculata | Wormleaf salsola, Mediterranean saltwort |
| Salvinia auriculata | Giant salvinia, eared watermoss, African payal, and butterfly fern |
| Salvinia biloba | Giant salvinia |
| Salvinia herzogii | Giant salvinia and Herzog salvinia |
| Salvinia molesta | Floating Fern |
| Setaria pallide-fusca | Cattail grass and yellow foxtail |
| Solanum tampicense | Wetland nightshade, wetland nightshade, scrambling nightshade, and aquatic soda apple |
| Solanum torvum | Turkeyberry, devil's fig, pea eggplant, palate brush, and susumber |
| Solanum viarum | Tropical Soda Apple |
| Sparganium erectum | Branched burreed |
| Spermacoce alata | winged false buttonweed |
| Striga spp. | Witchweed |
| Trapa natans | Water Chestnut, Waternut |
| Tridax procumbens | Coat buttons, Tridax daisy |
| Urochloa panicoides | Liverseed grass |
Check plants against South Carolina law →
Informational only, not legal advice. Lists change; always check the official source linked above before you buy, sell, plant or move a plant. Lists checked 2026-10-14.