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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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Saturday - January 24, 2009

From: Austin, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Non-Natives
Title: Leaf color in non-native sago palms
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

I have two sego palms planted in my front yard. Lots of sun. The fronds have turned a lime green color instead of the dark green color. Please help...(alkaline soil)

ANSWER:

At the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, our expertise, as well as our experience, is with plants native to North America.  Cycas revoluta, sago palm is native to Japan. You probably already know that it is not a true palm, but a cycad, a very primitive plant that had ancestors around when there were dinosaurs lunching on them. Since it is non-native, we have no information on it in our Native Plant Database, but found two websites that might be able to help you:  Jungle Music  My Cycad is in Trouble and another Jungle Music website The Sago Palm, Cycas revoluta.



 

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