OLYMPIA, Wash. – The Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) has updated its Noxious Weed Seed and Plant Quarantine list to include 19 new plant species.
The newly added plants include common English Ivy, Spotted Touch-Me-Not and Green Alkanet, among others.
Starting Saturday, August 9, these plants are prohibited from being sold in the state to help protect local agriculture and the environment, WSDA said in a release.
The WSDA emphasized the importance of this update, stating, “Preventing their sale in the state is one important step to limiting initial or new introductions of these problematic plants.”
Residents and businesses are encouraged to report any sales of these prohibited plants to the WSDA Plant Services Program.
This can be done by emailing nursery@agr.wa.gov with a photo and details of the location.
The WSDA will work to educate plant sellers about the quarantine, ensuring compliance. Non-compliance after education can lead to fines.
Plants added to the state quarantine list:
Common (English) ivy (Hedera helix);Atlantic Ivy (Hedera hibernica);Spotted touch me not (Impatiens capensis);Cape pondweed (Aponogeton distachyos);Hanging sedge (Carex pendula, Carex pendula subsp. pedula, and Carex pendula subsp. agastachys);Green alkanet (Pentaglottis sempervirens);Common Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare (except bulbing fennel, F. vulgare var. azoricum));European coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara);Herb Robert (Geranium robertianum);Houndstongue (Cynoglossum officinale);Sulfur cinquefoil (Potentilla recta);Wild basil/basil savory (Clinopodium vulgare);Yellow nutsedge (Cyperus esculentus);Camelthorn (Alhagi maurorum);Russian knapweed (Rhaponticum repens);Puncturevine (Tribulus terrestris);Rough chervil (Chaerophyllum temulum);Turkish thistle (Carduus cinereus)Palmer’s amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri)
