Native Plants
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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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Sunday - April 26, 2009
From: Greenwell Springs, LA
Region: Southeast
Topic: Non-Natives
Title: Thorns on non-native orange trees in Greenwell Springs, LA
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
Navel orange tree has thorns, why is this?ANSWER:
The orange (Citrus sinensis) is a hybrid, possibly of pomelo (Citrus maximus) and tangerine (Citrus reticulata); it originated in Southeast Asia. As such, it is out of our area of expertise at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, where we concentrate solely on plants native not only to North America but to the area in which they are being grown. This Floridata website, Citrus Sinensis, has more information, and specifically says, "The twigs on many orange cultivars are thorny."More Non-Natives Questions
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Aphids in non-native crape myrtles in Austin
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Due to the drought in Central Texas, our St. Augus...
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Non-native lilacs for Salt Lake City, UT
April 15, 2012 - Is the weather in Salt Lake City UT good enough to plant a lilac bush root? If not, how long should I wait?
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Hours of darkness for non-native poinsettia to bloom
October 28, 2005 - I have a poinsettia from last Christmas still alive. I was told to get it so many hours of darkness. Do you know how many hours? When would be the best time to start displaying the plant again?
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