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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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.
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| Differences between Ratibida columnifera and Ratibida peduncularis June 03, 2010 How do you tell the difference between Ratibida columnifera and Ratibida peduncularis. On NPIN columnifera has red and penduncularis is solid yellow, but I have seen pictures listed as columnifera tha... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification June 01, 2010 I was walking in the woods, near Dresden Michigan yesterday, in a deer friendly area, where we came upon a grouping of large, umbrella leaved plants, seemed to be interconnected and only one foot high... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification June 01, 2010 I have a grandchild that said the seed pod on a plant that looks like a clover is edible. It has clover like leaves and a little yellow flower. I did taste it and it kind of taste like a pickle. Th... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| May I send a blueberry picture for ID? May 28, 2010 May I send a digital photo of plant for confirmation that it is a wild blueberry? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| How to distinguish Malvaviscus arboreus from M. a. var. drummondii? May 28, 2010 I have a Turk's Cap plant. How do I tell if it is Malvaviscus arboreus or Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification in Michigan May 26, 2010 We are trying to identify a plant in our yard. It is seven inches tall in May, grows to about knee high, has red leaves, flowers in late June, early July. The flower is light pink. It is a perennia... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Need help identifying a plant with lupine-like leaves in La Grange Park, IL May 20, 2010 I encountered a plant on a level area just above a creek bed (moist soil, sun to partial sun) at one of the three largest grasslands in Illinois. The specific site looked like it may have been a burn ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Identification of a Kerry bush on Cape Cod May 20, 2010 I think the "bush" is called a Kerry bush - grows wild on Cape Cod - has little yellow "rose-like" flowers. - Is this the correct name and how can I make it thrive in New Hampshire? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Was my grandmother growing a Honeysuckle Bush in Middleton, Idaho? May 17, 2010 I would like to know the name of the flowering bush that grew in the backyard of my grandmother's house in Middleton, Idaho. I remember it to be purple in color and had petals with what I used to ca... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification site May 17, 2010 Is there a site I can use to identify plants by photos of leaves, flowers, berries etc? I found a plant in my yard I cannot identify. The nursery near us could not identify it. It has some groups/clus... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Sombrerito Mexicano May 16, 2010 Ratibida columnifera, almost universally called Mexican hat in English, is native to Texas and also to parts of Mexico, which leads me to wonder what the vernacular name is in Mexican Spanish. Google... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Can you identify a funny looking bulb that I bought at the grocery store? Probably not.. May 06, 2010 I looked through your data base and did not find what I was looking for. I bought this funny looking bulb at a grocery store. It looked like a giant shriveled spider when i bought them. Due to lack of... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification May 06, 2010 My neighbor has a few trees in his pasture that his horses love to eat the fruit off of. The fruit looks like a lemon but smaller and has lots of seeds inside of it. The trees have very long thorns on... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant Identification from Ephrata PA May 04, 2010 I've come across a low plant with bright green leaves and a distinct burgundy on the leaf. I've been told it's called Throw Me Over The Fence, but I believe it must be called something else. I be... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Identification of tree in Ovilla TX area May 04, 2010 Can you identify a tall,(wild?) tree covered with fragrant, pink/lavender blooms? Have seen several in the Ovilla area this spring. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification May 03, 2010 I need to identify a weed-like plant ~1 ft high with thick stems, wide leaves ending in a single point and bluish-purple tear shaped petals arranged three in a triangle. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification May 03, 2010 I have a 50 ft tree in my front forest apartment in Lewisburg, TN garden, that is blooming white cluster flowers. They are slightly fragrant. I thought Carolina silverbell but they have NO yellow stam... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| A stinging plant in Moultrie, GA? April 28, 2010 Mr. Smarty Plants, I was walking along in my lawn in some flip-flops and my foot barely grazed my ankle. As soon as it had happened, I felt this horrible pain, like a million tiny, invisible splinter... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification April 24, 2010 My son has some kind of plants, weeds, or ground cover in his yard that smell like spicy meat. When the wind blows the right way it smells like he's been grilling kolbasi on his deck/in his house. ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification April 20, 2010 I am trying to identify a flowering plant (usually potted) that is commonly seen around homes in Phoenix, AZ. It has a long (1 to 1.5 ft) bare woody stem topped by an umbel of perhaps 15-20 small red... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Mystery flower in Mesquite NY April 17, 2010 My sister recently told me a story, that one day in the Mesquite, NV area she liked a white wildflower on the side of the road, so she went to smell it, and a car stopped and told her not to touch it,... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification April 16, 2010 No pictures only memory. It looks like a dried flower and grows with other wildflowers along roadside. It is mostly purple or blue purple and sometimes called statis. Stems favor dandelions, only t... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Identification of plant in Menard TX April 16, 2010 We recently purchased 40 acres in Menard Texas on the San Saba River. There is a plant that looks like a fern that is all over the river bottom. It looks like the foliage on a carrot and they are al... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification April 06, 2010 In spot in the garden where tomatoes grew last this year, previous to planting what looks to me like a shamrock plant came up until it bloomed. Now it looks like some of the fuschia plants only the le... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Mystery fast-growing plant with the honeysuckle April 05, 2010 Mr. Smarty Plants, We have a section of honeysuckle, then a section of this 4 foot, bright, hairy green leafed, thorn bush that seems to be blooming/growing faster than the honeysuckle. Then a sectio... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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