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.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
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.
rate this answer
Friday - November 13, 2015
From: Austin, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Plant Identification, Herbs/Forbs
Title: Spriranthes sp. blooming on rocky hilltop
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
I am not sure if my previous question went thru, so I am submitting it again. How unusual is it to find a few blooming specimens of Spiranthes sp. on a rocky hilltop west of Loop 360 near Bee Caves Rd. west of Austin?ANSWER:
As long as there is a source of moisture there, it is not too unusual. They are often associated with places with plenty of moisture but they also appear in drier, rockier areas. This is the time that they bloom (October and November) and they probably "welcomed" the abundant rain that we just had to get them off to a fine start. If there was a "vanilla-like" scent associated with the plants you saw, then they were probably Spiranthes magnicamporum (Great plains lady's-tresses). Here is more information from Minnesota Wildflowers, the North American Orchid Conservation Center and the Arkansas Native Plant Society.
More Plant Identification Questions
Wild onions and garlic in Genus Allium
June 25, 2006 - My husband and I found a strange bulb like plant that when broken open it smells and tastes like strong onion or garlic. The heads are at the top of the plant though not at the root base like most wil...
view the full question and answer
Florida hanging vine with occasional red tongue-like leaves
December 01, 2011 - I live in south Florida and I used to grow a hanging vine that had green slender leaves and an occasional red leaf that looked like a tongue that protruded horizontally from the plant. do you know wha...
view the full question and answer
Idendification of plants with white cotton ball flowers
July 03, 2012 - A few months ago I found a small plant with a white cotton ball type flower on it. It had red spots. It was on the bank of the Nashua river. I had never seen this before, and I am having a hard time ...
view the full question and answer
Is there a variety of bluebonnet called black gumbo
February 04, 2008 - I live in Grimes County, Texas on the eastern edge of the Blackland Prairie. A few years ago my hillside of Bluebonnet seed was harvested. I was told it was a rare 'black gumbo' variety of bluebon...
view the full question and answer
Identification of pink flower near Austin
April 10, 2008 - My mother found a flower early this spring at Chrystal Falls park just outside of Austin. It was between red and salmon pink in color, tubular in shape and about 4 inches long. It smells very bad, a...
view the full question and answer
| Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |