Host an Event Volunteer Join Tickets

Support the plant database you love!

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.

Help us grow by giving to the Plant Database Fund or by becoming a member

Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?

Share

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

Search Smarty Plants
See a list of all Smarty Plants questions

Please forgive us, but Mr. Smarty Plants has been overwhelmed by a flood of mail and must take a break for awhile to catch up. We hope to be accepting new questions again soon. Thank you!

Need help with plant identification, visit the plant identification page.

 
rate this answer
Not Yet Rated

Tuesday - June 12, 2012

From: San Antonio, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Edible Plants
Title: Request for wild and edible plant information for Boy Scouts from San Antonio
Answered by: Barbara Medford and Jimmy Mills

QUESTION:

We are with the Boy Scouts. Is it possible for you to email me information on the Wild and Edible plants at the Government Canyon? WE are teaching our scouts on this subject right now. We have already taken them on many 10 and 15 mile hikes in the canyon. Thank you

ANSWER:

We have to admit we didn't know what or where Government Canyon is, but we found this website on its location and uses. There were several more websites on the facility, and we looked through all of them and never found any mention of lists of plants. The lists of plants we have are all plants native to North America, and the plants we grow onsite at the Wildflower Center are native to Texas. In our Special Collections section, we have this list of Edible Native Texas Plants at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. Since we are in Austin and you are in San Antonio, hopefully this will help.

Another member of the Mr. Smarty Plants team with a sharper eye than ours pointed out a previous Mr. Smarty Plants question that might help you even more than we did. We can't guarantee that any of the plants mentioned even grow in Government Canyon, but at least it's a start.

 

More Edible Plants Questions

What blueberry cultivar is best for Austin, TX.
April 15, 2010 - How do I know what blueberry bush to purchase for the best tasting variety that will grow in the Austin, TX area?
view the full question and answer

Smarty Plants on wild edible plants
July 28, 2005 - Do you have classes or information on identifying wild edible plants that could be found in Texas?
view the full question and answer

Plants for farm animals from East Greenwich RI
May 03, 2014 - What type of perennial flowers and shrubs are safe to plant around farm animals (dogs, horses, chickens, turkeys) in New England climate?
view the full question and answer

Growing Avocados in South Texas
April 24, 2015 - What types of avocados can be grown in South Texas?
view the full question and answer

Blueberry and huckleberry plants for Washington state
April 20, 2010 - Could you give me the names of which blueberry plants and huckleberry bushes that grow the best in Walla Walla, Washington and where and how to plant and space and care for them?? Thanks so much.
view the full question and answer

Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today.