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
Thursday - October 14, 2010
From: Nashville, TN
Region: Southeast
Topic: Plant Identification
Title: Identification of thorny tree with lemon-like fruit
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
What would be a small lemon like fruit that grows on a bush with large thorns? The fruit is about the size of a golf ball, kind of fuzzy yellow skin like a lemon and smells like a cross between an orange and a lemon. The flesh is like that of a lemon.ANSWER:
This sounds like Poncirus trifoliata (hardy orange or trifoliate orange), an introduced species from China. It is listed on the Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health Invasive.org website and by TexasInvasives.org. If this isn't the plant you have seen, please take photos and send them to us and we will do our best to identify it. Visit Mr. Smarty Plants' Plant Identification page to read the instructions for submitting photos.
More Plant Identification Questions
Plant ID in Springfield OR
July 08, 2009 - I recently discovered a wildflower closely resembling the Oregon Lady Slipper, apparently a wild orchid, but with many blooms on a single long stem and with no apparent leaves. I'd like more informat...
view the full question and answer
Identification of possible edible huckleberry in Central Texas
July 20, 2007 - I'm trying to identify a plant in my backyard, and in particular, I'm wondering if it's an edible huckleberry of some kind. Given all the rain Austin has had this summer, I wonder if it's not bey...
view the full question and answer
How to get rid of plants spreading fluffy seeds
July 27, 2008 - I live in Blaine, MN next to a Lake. The "buffer zones" next to the lake are filled with native grasses, weeds & wildflowers. We are trying to identify a plant that blooms July with lavender flowe...
view the full question and answer
Plant identification
May 07, 2008 - I have a plant growing in my yard that I would like to know what it is. It has two very different leaf types on the same plant. One set of leaves is thick and oval in shape, the others look very much ...
view the full question and answer
Plant Identification
August 29, 2011 - Hi-
I am currently am AP Biology student and have two plants left to identify that I found at a lily pool in Chicago. Can you help me identify them? One I believe is a fern, the other a flower.
Th...
view the full question and answer
| Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |