Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
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Smarty Plants Question Topics
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
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| Need to identify orange tube-like plants in Middleboro, MA October 23, 2009 Mr. Smarty Plants~ I live near some industrial companies, and lately I have been finding these orange plants, like tubes almost the top being brownish all over my backyard in the mulch. They have a... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Winterberry holly not fruiting October 22, 2009 Regarding Ilex verticillata, which I have planted in a partial sun, somewhere between all dry and all wet location, i don't see any red berries, and it's mid-october. We are in the 'burbs of just ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identfication October 21, 2009 Hi...Can you please identfy the tall, evergreen shrub with purple plum-colored foliage that I have noticed in winter locally?...Hope so, need he color! THX View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant Identification October 20, 2009 I have encountered a plant (two growing side by side) in our wooded back yard. It came up on its own, is about two feet tall, has leaves resembling that of an Angel's trumpet, about 4-5" long, jagge... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Book for identifying Texas plants by dichotomous key from Seguin TX October 12, 2009 What is the best book(s) for identifying Texas plants using a dichotomous key? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification October 10, 2009 Please try to identify a shrub growing beside a country road in Van Zandt Co this month. It had tiny, slender cone shaped fruit or "flowers" along the branches. The leaves are dark green, about 1 i... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification October 10, 2009 I am trying to name a pink fall blooming wildflower. It is growing in a ditch and has several blooms on a stalk about 4' tall. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification, Oxalis drummondii October 07, 2009 All around Austin in the last couple of weeks I've noticed a beautiful lavender flower blooming in dense clumps. I haven't been able to look at them closely because it seems they prefer to be in th... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification October 06, 2009 We have a large bush type plant, about 4 feet tall, fragant voilet flowers, large dark green leaves and spiney seed pods (about the size of golf balls) that have many seeds inside. They started growi... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identifcation October 05, 2009 I have 3-4' high plants, spaced out thick red-greem stalks, w/slender long dark green leaves, several round "single" light lavender colored flowers 1&1/2" in circumference continuously bloom. Butt... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identfication October 05, 2009 While visiting a lake near Dallas, Texas this past summer, I found a flower floating in the lake. It was small, only about an inch or so across, had three petals, was a deep magenta shade, and had th... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Identification of a white beebalm October 03, 2009 I have a photo of what looks like Bee Balm but it is white in color. What is the name of this wildflower? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Identification of plant responsible for thorns in dogs' fur October 02, 2009 Do you know of a plant or bush that has very small, very thin triangle shaped thorn? My dogs have been coming in with these in their fur and I want to get rid of the plant/bush they are coming from. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Need identification of a bush with red bumpy berries in PA. October 02, 2009 Pennsylvania - We are trying to identify a bush that has small red bumpy berries. The berries are the size of a crab apple or a cherry. Can you tell us what it is? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification October 01, 2009 Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, Ever since we received this (much needed and wonderful) rain in Austin, my gardens and yard are being swamped with these tiny, green clover-like plants. I've never seen it ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification from Alpharetta GA September 28, 2009 I found a thorny bush in a yard. It had either immature fruit or a seed pod that I would like identified. The pod was a little larger than a golf ball, yellow, and a little fuzzy. When cut open it ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identfication September 28, 2009 I live in Kyle Texas and my neighbor has a tree with white blooms and when they fall off the twigs have a wavy look at the end with no leaves. we spoke to a nursery and they thought maybe an eve's ne... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification September 26, 2009 I came back from vacation to find a wild herb growing in my back yard. It looks similar to dill, cilantro, or fennel; which makes me think it's in the umbrelliferae family, but it's not a large plan... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification September 21, 2009 NEAR ABILENE STATE PARK GREEN RODS SHOOT UP PURPLE BLOOM MID TO LATE SEPTEMBER LONG AND SLENDER WITH GREEN SPIKES ALMOST LIKE A PINE OR EVERGREEN COMES EVERY YEAR NO MATTER HOW MUCH RAIN WHAT IS IT?... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Identification of plant at 6500 ft. in Boulder UT September 19, 2009 Located at 6,500 feet in Boulder, Utah..not Colorado in sandy soil with irrigation, we have discovered a deep green leafy (unfurls from the center) plant with six lobes on each side of the leaf stem. ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Thermopsis caroliniana not in database from Philadelphia September 16, 2009 Thermopsis caroliniana is not in your plant database. What is the reason for that? Thanks! View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification of Texas bullnettle (Cnidoscolus texanus) September 15, 2009 I'm trying to identify a small thorny plant that I found growing on our (previously undeveloped) dry lot in Hutto, Central Texas. It has small white flowers and green thorny bulbs. The leaves and st... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification September 12, 2009 I am looking for the name of plant my Grandma used to own. She always referred to it as a spider plant. The green part of the plant looked very similar to a spider plant but growing around the base of... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification for Louisiana September 12, 2009 Trying to identify a "fruit bearing" plant around Natchitoches, Louisiana. Grows about waist high to average man, slightly elongated green leaf, bearing small green "fruit" or "berry", with pape... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification September 06, 2009 Could you please identify a plant with a scalloped elephant ear type leaf, wooden base with oval areas where old large wooden roots from above the ground have fallen off. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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