Prohibited or banned plants in Florida carry a specific legal weight that goes beyond simply being unwanted, and according to University of Florida IFAS Extension, a plant designated as a Florida Noxious Weed cannot legally be transported, imported, collected, possessed, cultivated, or sold anywhere in the state. That’s a considerably stronger restriction than the informal label “invasive” implies on its own, since plenty of documented invasive species in Florida remain perfectly legal to buy at a nursery, while the plants on this list cross a specific regulatory line that triggers active enforcement.
Florida actually maintains several distinct non-native plant lists that often get confused with one another, and a UF/IFAS EDIS publication walks through the differences between the Federal Noxious Weed List, the Florida Noxious Weed List, the Florida Invasive Species Council’s assessment list, and the broader UF/IFAS Assessment of Non-Native Plants. That same publication notes an important recent change: the Florida Prohibited Aquatic Plant List has been formally combined with the Florida Noxious Weed List and no longer exists as a separate regulatory category, meaning aquatic and terrestrial noxious species are now governed under a single unified list.
The financial stakes behind these bans are considerable. According to UF/IFAS Extension, Florida spent 167.5 million dollars in combined state and federal funds between 2011 and 2022 managing aquatic plants alone, with more than half of that total going toward hydrilla control specifically. That figure reflects just one species out of the many that carry legal restrictions statewide.
These plants span freshwater canals, coastal hammocks, and disturbed agricultural land throughout Florida. What follows covers 20 prohibited or banned plants in Florida, along with where each one is found and the data behind its regulatory status.
Air Potato
Air potato produces heart-shaped leaves on a vigorously twining vine capable of growing several inches in a single day, reproducing primarily through hundreds of small, potato-like bulbils that drop and sprout wherever they land. It’s illegal to plant anywhere in the state, a restriction put in place after the vine demonstrated it could smother entire tree canopies within a single growing season.
It’s found throughout all 67 Florida counties, with existing populations continuing to spread on their own despite the ban on new plantings. UF/IFAS has developed a dedicated biological control program using a host-specific leaf beetle specifically to help suppress established infestations that can no longer simply be removed by hand.
Melaleuca
Melaleuca, also called the paperbark tree, is prohibited under the Federal Noxious Weed List and 2 separate Florida administrative rules, according to the UF/IFAS Assessment of Non-Native Plants. Its oils burn extremely hot when dry, and dense stands create a serious wildfire hazard in addition to displacing the native wetland vegetation the tree overtakes.
It’s documented across more than 20 Florida counties, from Brevard and Broward down through the Keys, concentrated heavily in South Florida’s wetland and Everglades-adjacent habitats. Its papery, peeling bark and white bottle-brush flowers make it visually distinctive even to someone unfamiliar with the plant’s regulatory status.
Hydrilla
Hydrilla, according to UF/IFAS Extension, was intentionally planted in Florida canals by aquarium plant dealers in the 1950s after being introduced as an aquarium plant, and it quickly escaped cultivation into public waterways. Its dense underwater mats impede water flow, boat navigation, and recreational activities, and the plant now consumes more public management funding than any other aquatic species in the state.
It grows throughout freshwater lakes, rivers, and canals statewide, undergoing winter dieback only in the northernmost parts of Florida. Its status as a Florida Noxious Weed means transportation, importation, collection, possession, cultivation, or sale of the plant is illegal anywhere in the state, even for private aquarium or pond use.
Water Hyacinth
Water hyacinth produces rounded, glossy leaves atop inflated, spongy stems that keep the entire plant afloat, forming dense mats capable of covering the surface of an entire pond or slow-moving river. It was introduced to the United States at the 1884 World’s Fair in New Orleans before spreading into Florida’s waterways, where it eventually choked off river commerce entirely and prompted some of the earliest aquatic weed control efforts in the state’s history.
It’s found throughout warm, slow-moving waterways across the state, and it appears on the Florida Invasive Species Council’s Category 1 list alongside its formal noxious weed designation. A single mat can double its coverage of open water within roughly 2 weeks under warm, nutrient-rich conditions.
Old World Climbing Fern
Old world climbing fern produces delicate, lacy fronds on a vine-like stem capable of climbing high into a tree canopy, where it forms a dense blanket that blocks sunlight and eventually kills the host tree beneath it. It appears on the Federal Noxious Weed List directly, one of a small handful of ferns to receive that designation.
It’s concentrated in central and southern Florida, particularly the Everglades region, where it’s transformed large sections of wetland and hammock habitat. Its dense, dry mats can also act as a wildfire ladder fuel, carrying flames up into a tree canopy that would otherwise have escaped a ground-level fire.
Japanese Climbing Fern
Japanese climbing fern closely resembles its old world relative in climbing habit, spreading via wind-dispersed spores rather than seed and capable of reaching 90 feet or more into a tree canopy. It shares the same Federal Noxious Weed List designation as Old World climbing fern, reflecting the shared fire and canopy-smothering risks both species pose.
It’s found throughout much of the Florida peninsula and Panhandle, favoring forest edges and disturbed wetland margins. Its spore-based reproduction lets new infestations establish at considerable distance from any existing plant, making its spread genuinely difficult to track and contain.
Cogongrass
Cogongrass produces dense stands of coarse, upright grass topped with fluffy, white seed heads, and it appears on the Federal Noxious Weed List, the Florida Noxious Weed List, and the Florida Invasive Species Council’s assessment simultaneously. Its extremely flammable foliage and rhizomes that survive most fires make it one of the few invasive plants that can actively increase wildfire severity wherever it establishes.
It’s found in scattered but expanding infestations throughout Florida, particularly along roadsides and disturbed agricultural land. Its sharp, silica-embedded leaf edges also make it unpalatable to grazing livestock, giving it a further competitive advantage over the pasture grasses it displaces.
Tropical Soda Apple
Tropical soda apple produces spiny stems and leaves along with round, yellow fruit resembling a small, mottled tomato, and it’s listed on both the Federal Noxious Weed List and Florida’s own noxious weed designation. Cattle and wildlife readily eat the ripe fruit and pass the seeds unharmed through their digestive systems, spreading the plant efficiently across pastures and natural areas alike.
It’s found throughout much of Florida’s cattle-ranching regions, where a single untreated infestation can spread across hundreds of acres within a few growing seasons. Its economic impact on the state’s cattle industry was significant enough to help drive its inclusion on both regulatory lists.
Hygrophila
Hygrophila polysperma, an aquatic plant with narrow, bright green leaves, appears on the Federal Noxious Weed List and was originally introduced to Florida through the aquarium trade before escaping into natural waterways. Its ability to root from even small fragmented pieces makes accidental spread from aquarium dumping a persistent, ongoing source of new infestations.
It’s established in scattered waterways throughout much of the Florida peninsula, forming dense underwater stands similar in ecological impact to hydrilla. Its formal noxious weed status makes it illegal to sell, transport, or possess anywhere in the state, including within home aquariums.
Water Spinach
Water spinach, also called kangkong, produces hollow, trailing stems and arrow-shaped leaves and is listed on the Federal Noxious Weed List despite being a widely eaten vegetable in several Asian cuisines. Its aggressive growth in warm, wet conditions and potential to clog waterways led to its restriction even though limited cultivation is sometimes permitted under specific state agricultural licensing arrangements.
It’s found in scattered locations throughout South Florida, particularly in and around agricultural areas where it has occasionally escaped permitted cultivation. Its edible reputation elsewhere in the world hasn’t changed its restricted legal status within Florida’s borders.
Rosary Pea
Rosary pea produces glossy red seeds marked with a single black spot, held inside slim pods on a twining vine, and it appears on the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council’s invasive species list alongside its noxious weed designation. Those same strikingly attractive seeds contain abrin, a toxin potent enough that chewing and swallowing even a single properly broken seed can be fatal to an adult.
It’s established throughout much of Florida, particularly in coastal hammocks and disturbed areas, where it smothers native shrubs and small trees. Its ornamental use in jewelry and rosaries has historically helped spread both the plant and its seeds well beyond its original points of introduction.
Earleaf Acacia
Earleaf acacia produces sickle-shaped, leaf-like phyllodes rather than true compound leaves, along with fuzzy yellow flower clusters, and it’s listed by the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council among the state’s significant invasive tree species. It grows remarkably fast even by invasive standards, and its shallow root system makes mature trees notoriously prone to toppling during Florida’s frequent summer storms and hurricanes.
It’s established throughout much of central and southern Florida, particularly along roadsides and disturbed forest edges. Its abundant seed production allows a relatively small original planting to seed a substantial surrounding area within just a few years.
Carrotwood
Carrotwood produces glossy, compound leaves and small, star-shaped yellow flowers followed by woody seed capsules that split open to reveal bright orange seeds, appearing on the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council’s list of significant invasive species. Its common name comes from the orange color visible when its roots or inner bark are cut, a helpful identification feature separating it from similar-looking native trees.
It’s established throughout coastal areas of South and Central Florida, particularly in beach dune, mangrove, and hammock habitats. Its salt tolerance and adaptability to both wet and dry conditions have let it spread into a wide range of otherwise very different coastal ecosystems.
Cat’s Claw Vine
Cat’s claw vine produces small, hooked, claw-like tendrils that let it grip smooth bark and structures alike, appearing on the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council’s invasive species list for its capacity to smother a host tree’s canopy within just a few seasons. Its thick, tuberous root system stores enough reserve energy to regrow rapidly even after being cut back to the ground.
It’s established throughout much of the Florida peninsula, commonly escaping from ornamental plantings into surrounding natural areas. Its bright yellow, trumpet-shaped spring flowers continue to make it a popular garden plant despite its documented invasive behavior.
Australian Pine
Australian pine produces slender, drooping, pine-needle-like branches that actually belong to a flowering tree rather than a true conifer, and it appears on the Florida Noxious Weed List directly. Its shallow root system makes mature trees notoriously prone to toppling during hurricanes, often taking out power lines and structures in the process.
It’s established throughout coastal areas of South and Central Florida, where its dense shade and needle litter prevent native beach vegetation, including plants that protect sea turtle nesting sites, from growing beneath it. Its rapid growth and salt tolerance originally made it a popular windbreak tree before its invasive behavior became fully understood.
Winged Yam
Winged yam, a relative of air potato, produces leaves and stems with distinctive wing-like ridges, appearing on the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council’s list for its own potato-like bulbils that spread the vine much like its more famous relative. Those bulbils are the primary way the vine reproduces, each one capable of sprouting a new plant wherever it lands.
It’s established throughout much of Florida, frequently found growing alongside or in similar habitats to air potato itself. Its underground tubers can grow substantially large over time, making complete removal a genuinely labor-intensive undertaking.
Giant Salvinia
Giant salvinia produces small, floating, hairy leaves that form dense mats capable of covering an entire pond or slow-moving waterway within weeks, and it’s listed on the Federal Noxious Weed List and was named among the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s 100 worst invasive species worldwide. Its mats can grow so thick that they block sunlight to submerged native plants and deplete oxygen levels in the water below.
It’s found in scattered infestations throughout Florida’s warmer waterways, spreading readily whenever fragments are transported on boats, trailers, or other equipment moved between water bodies. Its federal noxious weed status makes possession, transport, or sale illegal anywhere in the country, not just within Florida.
Skunk Vine
Skunk vine produces small, opposite leaves that release a distinctly unpleasant, sulfurous odor when crushed, appearing on the Federal Noxious Weed List for its ability to form dense mats over shrubs and trees that block the sunlight those plants need to survive. Heavily infested areas can end up with almost no other vegetation growing beneath the smothering canopy it creates.
It’s found throughout much of the Florida peninsula, spread readily by birds that eat and disperse its small seeds. Its extensive underground root system also allows it to resprout persistently even after the visible vine has been removed.
Brazilian Pepper Tree
Brazilian pepper tree is a member of the same plant family as poison ivy and poison sumac, meaning sensitive individuals can develop an allergic skin reaction or respiratory irritation from handling it, and it appears on the Florida Noxious Weed List. It’s now present across more than 700,000 acres statewide, forming dense canopies that shade out native vegetation and create inhospitable conditions for wildlife.
It grows throughout central and southern Florida, aggressively invading both terrestrial habitats and sensitive coastal mangrove communities. Florida agencies spend more than 4.7 million dollars every year specifically managing this one species.
Kudzu
Kudzu produces large, 3-lobed leaves on vigorous vines capable of growing 60 to 100 feet in a single season, and it appears on the Florida Noxious Weed List alongside its more widely known reputation across the broader southeastern United States. Its massive underground tubers store enough energy to let the vine regrow persistently even after years of cutting and herbicide treatment.
It’s found primarily in the Florida Panhandle and northern parts of the state, where cooler winters more closely resemble the conditions of the Deep South states where kudzu is most notorious. Its spread is generally less severe in the subtropical southern half of Florida, where other prohibited vines tend to dominate instead.
What to Remember
Prohibited or banned plants in Florida are regulated because some species can threaten agriculture, native ecosystems, or other plants. However, “invasive,” “noxious,” and “prohibited” do not always mean exactly the same thing under Florida regulations. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services maintains the state’s noxious-weed regulations and explains that listed plants may have restrictions on cultivation, introduction, possession, or movement.
Because regulations can change, plant status should be verified before planting, buying, moving, or removing a species. Florida also allows certain local governments to impose additional restrictions, so checking current state and local rules is important when dealing with a potentially prohibited plant.