Native Plants
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
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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Friday - July 03, 2009
From: Spanaway, WA
Region: Northwest
Topic: Plant Identification
Title: Plant identification
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
I have a tree growing in my backyard that has started to produce bean shaped blue berries the interior of the berry is red and the leaf shape is long and triangle and the stems the berries grow on are red. Is this plant poison? I have 5 kids and a dog and I'm am wondering if I need to warn them away.ANSWER:
Mr. Smarty Plants loves to identify plants, but it is very difficult (if not impossible) to do so from a description alone. Please send us photos of your plant and we will do our best to identify it and tell you if it is poisonous. Please take high resolution, in-focus photos of: 1) the tree as a whole, 2) a branch showing the leaf arrangement, 3) close-ups of leaves, and 4) close-ups of the berries. Visit Mr. Smarty Plants' Plant Identification page to read the instructions for submitting photos. In your e-mail please be sure to remind us where you live and describe the site where the tree is growing.More Plant Identification Questions
Possible gourd vine growing in backyard in Camden, TN.
July 17, 2012 - I have a long green vine growing in my backyard. It's got green bulbs the size of kiwi on it and they're filled with white seeds. I would appreciate it if you guys could tell me what it is! Thanks!
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Plant identification
August 13, 2008 - Bought a plant don't know what it is or how to care for it. It looks like it's dying. Description: light to dark green, long, skinny, rounded trunk, surrounded and topped with grass like blades(top ...
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Lycopodium digitatum for Christmas wreaths
December 21, 2008 - Dear Mr. Smarty Plants,
That's it! The plant "Lycopodium Digitatum" posted on your website on Dec. 20, 2008 in response to my question about the proper name of "Crow's Feet" is indeed the pla...
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Plant identification from photos
April 11, 2008 - I have 3 photos of the same plant, and no one knows what it is. Can I send you the photos, they are small jpegs, for identification? Thank you.
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ID of plant from florist in Moorestown NJ
November 21, 2009 - I recently purchased a cut stem from the local florist for an autumn flower arrangement. The leaves are very, very small and bamboo-like in looks. They are not oval and are 1/8 inches long. The bra...
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