Michigan Weighs Restrictions on Five Invasive Plants

State officials recommended new limits on five nonnative plants that can crowd out native species and disrupt natural food webs.

Updated on Nov. 12, 2026 in Botany

Screen-print poster illustration of a still pond covered in a dense floating mat of yellow-flowered aquatic plants, with reeds and hardwood trees in soft distance. — Michigan officials recommended new restrictions on five invasive plants, including creeping and large-flowered water-primrose, that can crowd out native species and disrupt food webs. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Do you support new state restrictions on invasive plants like bittersweet and butterbur?

Michigan officials have recommended five invasive plants for new restrictions: creeping water-primrose, large-flowered water-primrose, round-leaved bittersweet, lesser celandine and common butterbur. The Michigan Invasive Species Program made the recommendations, which are intended to protect agriculture and the environment.

Why it matters

Invasive plants are nonnative organisms that can harm the economy, environment or public health by crowding out native species. Some of the recommended plants are already causing problems in Michigan, while the two primrose species are not yet widely established in the state.

The Michigan Invasive Species Program has recommended five plants, following six added to state lists in May. Whether the Commission adopts the restrictions will depend on the public comment process that follows its Nov. 17 discussion.

The players

Michigan Invasive Species Program

The state program responsible for identifying, tracking and managing invasive species in Michigan, which made the current recommendations.

Michigan Commission of Agriculture and Rural Development

The state body that will discuss the recommendations at its Nov. 17 meeting and oversee the public comment process.

The details

Creeping water-primrose and large-flowered water-primrose are aquatic plants that float on the water's surface and produce small, yellow flowers. Round-leaved bittersweet is a toxic woody vine that forms dense thickets in forest openings, disturbed areas and dunes, while lesser celandine forms thick mats in forested floodplains and along trails.

May: Six other invasive plants were added to Michigan's restricted or prohibited species lists.
Nov. 17, 2026: The Michigan Commission of Agriculture and Rural Development is scheduled to discuss the recommendations.
Following the Nov. 17 meeting: A 30-day public comment period is expected to begin.

Seasonal Patterns

This recommendation extends Michigan's May 2026 addition of six invasive plants to its restricted and prohibited species lists, adding five more species to the state's restriction pipeline. Together, the two actions show the state moving to expand its list of nonnative plants subject to limits.

Gardeners, landowners and anyone who works near waterways or forests could see restrictions on these plants affect what they can sell, plant or move. Public comment during the 30-day window gives residents a formal way to weigh in before any decision is made.

The takeaway

Checking which plants are restricted before planting, buying or moving them can help limit the spread of invasive species. Residents who want to influence the decision can watch for the public comment period that follows the Nov. 17 meeting.

What happens next

The Michigan Commission of Agriculture and Rural Development will discuss the recommendations at its Nov. 17, 2026 meeting, after which a 30-day public comment period is expected to begin.