Washington state has banned the sale or transport of English ivy and its cousin, Atlantic ivy.
The leafy holiday decorations are also aggressive invaders of Northwest forests.
The Washington State Department of Agriculture on Wednesday added 19 species to its quarantine list of plants and seeds that cannot be sold or distributed in the state due to their potential to wreak havoc on agricultural and natural areas.
None of those noxious weed species attracted nearly as much attention as the two European ivies.
“Local jurisdictions and Washington state spend millions of dollars, either in volunteer hours or actual funds, to remove ivy from forests, urban forests in particular,” said landscape architect Kristi Park of Bellingham. “So, the fact that you could turn around and buy it just blew my mind.”