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.
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?
Smarty Plants Question Topics
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
Search Smarty Plants
| topic | question | |
| Identity of shrub with brownish flowers called cinnamon bush April 25, 2012 When I lived in Vernon, CT, my neighbor had a small shrub/tree approximately 5 ft tall with small ovate slightly serrated leaves. In spring it produced reddish brown flowers that were of a hardened p... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Identity of plant with purple flower and tomato-like fruit April 24, 2012 Along the Lake Erie shoreline in Buffalo there is a summer blooming plant with a purple flower and hard flattened tomato like fruit, diameter of a quarter. It has pretty small green leaves with fine ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Identification of willow-like tree April 22, 2012 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 ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Identity of plant with cluster of bell-shaped flowers and 2 leaves April 21, 2012 In Kirtland, Ohio. Clay soil. Woodsy, moist area. Stem sticks up about 6 inches; stem is bare except for top inch, where 2 leaves and cluster of white drooping bell-like flowers appear. Ball-shaped ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Seeds of Castilleja purpurea April 12, 2012 The seed photo for Castilleja purpurea is incorrect; seeds are black and poppyseed size. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| What is the orange vine that is covering the wildflowers from Llano, TX? April 10, 2012 What is the invasive orange vine that is covering the wildflowers on Texas highways? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Identification of blue flower April 10, 2012 I have two similar (but obviously different) wild flowers growing on my property. I have pictures of each. What email address can I use to send them to you to identify? I thought one was blue-... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Dodder April 06, 2012 I was driving around Llano, Texas and saw patches of orange amongst the wildflowers. From afar the patches seemed like dying plants. On close inspection, they are orange tendrils that are overrunnin... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Dodder April 06, 2012 I have seen patches of Bluebonnets that are covered with a stringy,rubbery,orange substance that seems to be choking out the particular patch. It wraps itself around the flowers,completely covering th... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | | |
| Plant ID from Foster RI April 05, 2012 I have a weed flowering plant in bloom in a moist semi-shaded area. I would like to send a photo but I do not know how to upload. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification in Florida April 03, 2012 Hello, I have a plant that I bought at a local nursery (now closed). It only came with a label that read "Sun". The plant has many long willowy stems coming up from the ground, green saw-notched lea... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Plant identification April 02, 2012 I found a plant on a small island about the size of a hand. It is spring so plant is just coming out of the ground. It is wrapped around a bulb/flower light color with little knobs on it. The outsi... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Plant ID from Horseshoe Bend, TX April 01, 2012 I am trying to identify two plants - one - a flower springing up in a mint patch/Users/leehsb/Desktop/DSC_0407.JPG/Users/leehsb/Desktop/DSC_0408.JPG and the next a small bunched plant in our garden (n... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Origin of cultivar of Sophora secundiflora April 01, 2012 Howdy, Mr. Smarty Plants! I am hoping you can shed some light on the origin of my silver-leaved TX Mountain Laurel, "Silver Peso". Some nurseries refer to it as a genetic variation of Sophora secu... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Wild native trees with orange blooms March 30, 2012 What is the wild native tree that is blooming orange blooms - as you drive down the road thru Chappel Hill, and Brenham area. I've never seen these before when we went viewing bluebonnets - however,... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Lily of the Valley growing in Red River County, TX March 26, 2012 Mr. SP, I just returned from Red River County, TX where I observed Lily of the Valley growing in a very old cemetery. Is this unusual for this area of the country? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Identity of the mass fields of yellow flowers in North Texas March 23, 2012 Are the mass fields of yellow flowers we are seeing in north Texas now likely to be Indian Mustard (brassica juncea) or Charlock (brassica kaber or sinapis arvensis)? We are teaching a wildflower ide... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Identification of tree blooming in Austin with yellow balls March 21, 2012 What is the tree/large shrub that is blooming now (mid-March) in the Austin area? It has small mesquite-type leaves, round yellow balls with fuzz on them and is fragrant. Thanks! View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Identity of rubbery-looking tree with long green thorns March 21, 2012 I am trying to identify a tree that has a green rubbery look with long, sharp, green thorns. This tree is on my property in Conroe, TX and the soil type is Gladwater clay frequently flooded. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Identity of flowering yellow trees in Austin March 21, 2012 There are numerous flowering yellow trees in my Austin neighborhood. Are they mesquite or goldenball lead trees? They are quite fragrant, like a new bar of soap. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Plant identification March 15, 2012 There's a wildflower I can't identify. I have a picture of it and have searched many sites and can't seem to find it. Is there a way I can submit the pic to you to identify? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification March 15, 2012 My daughter took the attached picture of a plant growing along a road in Austin, TX. I've searched the database and several wildflower books and can't find the flower. Can you identify it? Thanks fo... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Removing non-native plants appearing in Austin in early spring March 14, 2012 In order to know which plants to keep and which to remove, is there a source to look up and identify common non-native plants that are seen in Austin about this time of the year (late winter, early Sp... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Identification of daisy-like yellow flower March 12, 2012 Georgetown, TX - I have two flowers blooming in my field that I can't identify. One is strong gold and the other strong orange. I cannot identify the leaf pad. There are no leaves on the stem which... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Identification of tree with red feathery leaves March 08, 2012 What is the name of a tree with dark red leaves, feathery, slim trunk; maybe in the pepper family? Jedi? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| topic | question | |