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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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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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Wednesday - April 13, 2005

From: Clovis, NM
Region: Southwest
Topic: Vines
Title: Smarty Plants on teddy bear vine
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

I am looking for a plant called teddy bear vine. The scientific name is Cyanotis kewensis. I had one a long time ago (20+ years) and I loved it, but I can't find another one or find out where it is from. I bought mine at K-Mart years ago. They have no records of what they got and where it was from that far back. Can you help? I tried the data base but nothing came back. The description is furry trailing vine with upturned stem tips. Leaves have purplish undersides and the flowers are violet-blue.                       

ANSWER:

Cyanotis kewensis, the teddybear vine, is in the Family Commelinaceae (Spiderwort family). It and all other members of the Genus Cyanotis are natives of Asia and Africa. This is why you did not find it in our Native Plants Database. It is sold commercially, however, and appears to be available from the Desert-Tropicals.com home page. You can probably find more suppliers by doing a Google search on the Internet.
 

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