A shrub that’s been a favorite of landscapers has been added to a list of noxious weed, by Pennsylvania officials, and its sale will be banned by the fall of 2023, reports say.
According to a report by Triblive.com, the shrub had previously been considered for the list in 2018. It was finally added to the list of banned plants, following the lead of Ohio and West Virginia.
A two-year roll-out plan is in place to allow nursery and landscape businesses to begin adjusting their inventory, with “stop-sale and destruction orders” to be issued in the fall of 2023, WPXI News reported.
Popular with landscapers, because deer typically don’t eat it, the shrub is also a favorite of ticks, particularly black-legged ticks, the kind that spread Lyme disease, noted Triblive.com.
A 2018 report by Triblive.com cited Shannon Powers, deputy communications director with the state Department of Agriculture, who said she understands why garden centers and plant nurseries like to sell Japanese barberry: “It’s pretty, it’s ornamental, it looks nice, it’s disease-resistant and it’s a big seller.”
But Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding told Triblive.com: “Many seemingly attractive plants can actually harm our environment, our food supply and our health.”
Japanese barberry came to the U.S. from Japan and eastern Asia in the 1800s “as an ornamental,” desirable as a landscape shrub due to its fall coloring. But in the wild, it can quickly spread, “crowding and choking out native vegetation,” Triblive.com explained.
More information about invasive species can be found at the Governor’s Invasive Species Council website at Agriculture.pa.gov.
Businesses with questions about the Japanese barberry ban can email ra-plant@pa.gov.
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