I don't have a list of all the states that restrict water hyacinth, but most of the southern states have restrictions against it. It is an invasive weed that chokes waterways and crowds out native plants.

Click on the link below to be directed to the Wikipedia entry.

Here is a link that might be useful: Wikipedia on Water Hyacinth

It is pretty much southern coastal states, because it doesn't get cold enough to impede their growth in the winter, and they become invasive. If they get into natural waterways, they can kill off all the life. Possession carries a bigger fine, here in Texas than marijuana, I believe.

Thanks, so i wouldn't be able to ship to southern costal states, ive seen sellers on ebay list a few, i was just trying to see if i could get a complete list. So puerto rico, california, florida, arizona, etc, would be states i cant ship them to, right, thanks for your help

Go to http://www.protectyourwaters.net/hitchhikers/plants_water_hyacinth.php
for more information on this plant which is banned for export or import in South Carolina & Florida along with other invasive water plants

I live in FL and it is illegal here. I ordered my water hyacinth off the internet and they shipped it to me but intsead of calling it by its real name they called it something else, i cant remember what. Im pretty sure they did this for legalities. They called water lettuce something different as well.

It is illegal in, and cannot be shipped to, Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Louisiana, South Carolina, and Texas.

That being said, I've seen many supposedly reputable nurseries selling it in CA. Shame!

Brenda

just wanted to make sure, so puerto rico is not on the list? I was trading and someone wanted them but i held off and sent them a pm and shipped the other plants, i wanted to make sure it was ok to ship them there first so it wouldn't cause problems. I wasnt sure because some ebay sellers and a few websites wont ship them to PR. thanks everyone

It grows wildly in a river by my uncle's in bakersfield california and literally covered the whole water surface.

Over here I see it for sale all the time. Surprisingly it does die off in the winter and you have to replace it again in spring unless you overwinter them indoors or in a covered area.

I like feeding the excess to farm animals and my pet rabbits.

After doing a quick check on Google, I found out that it's also listed as a noxious weed in Puerto Rico.

Brenda

Hi
Any area that does not fall below freezing should be VERY careful with the stuff . It is illegal all over the deep south and all tropical countries . I frequently see it for sale in nurseries here in Florida though. Depend on how tough the state wants to get. They don't seem to enforce the laws at least here . Puerto Rico has some tough import laws but I would bet it covers the whole island lol.
I keep it because I have never found a susstitute for keeping ponds algae free lol
One question about it I've never found an answer to is does it produce viable seed?? Have two ponds less than 15 feet apart and it has never got from one to the other except by moving the plant.
I redone an old pond in March and out of curiousity I've been keeping track of the reproduction rate . I placed 5 plants in it. To date I have removed 135 mature plants!!!
How is that for invasive ??lol. It does an almost miraculous job of removing stuff from the water and of course the flowers are fantastic. gary