Don’t Grow these 10 Plants, They’re Illegal in Texas

Yes believe it or not, there are plants that you can NOT grow in the state of Texas. No we're not talking about marijuana; although it IS illegal in Texas. No we're talking about actual plants that you can naturally find in nature. There are plants that are classified as either "noxious" or "invasive" in Texas, which makes them illegal.

What are some illegal plants to grow in Texas?

Now of course if a plant grows naturally in your yard or around the state; that's fine. According to Texas law, the Texas Department of Agriculture finds it illegal to "sell, distribute, import or possess a plant" that is labeled as noxious or invasive. In other words, if a plant causes "economical or ecological harm to agriculture, horticulture, native plants, ecology and waterways of Texas", then it's considered illegal.

Some examples include the chinaberry, also called the Texas umbrella; it's been known to be classified as both noxious & invasive since it is poisonous if it's consumed by humans & other mammals like your pets..

Another common example is the saltcedar, another noxious & invasive plant. Because saltcedars can consume LARGE amounts of water (sometimes up to 200 gallons a day) & its extremely high concentration of salt found in the plant, you can understand why they're considered so problematic if you grow them on purpose in Texas. Sometimes they attract the salt cedar beetle, which can cause its own set of problems.

And those are just two examples. There are many other examples of illegal plants that you can not (and SHOULD not) grow in Texas.

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