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.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
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Sunday - April 22, 2012
From: Austin, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Plant Identification
Title: Identification of willow-like tree
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
Hi. My daughter is trying to identify a native tree that is like a "scrub" tree here in pastures in Austin, Texas (for a school project). It sort of looks like weeping willow, but most aren't very tall. Is there a way I can email a picture to you for you to see it? Thanks for your help.ANSWER:
Mr. Smarty Plants would love to be able to accept photographs for identification. Unfortunately, we don't have enough staff or volunteers to do this anymore. We were overwhelmed with photos and requests for identification.
I think, however, the tree/shrub you are describing sounds like Baccharis neglecta (False willow). It is very common in the Austin area.
If this doesn't appear to be it, please visit our Plant Identification page for links to several plant identification forums that will accept photos for identification.
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