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 is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

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Please forgive us, but Mr. Smarty Plants has been overwhelmed by a flood of mail and must take a break for awhile to catch up. We hope to be accepting new questions again soon. Thank you!

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Saturday - March 30, 2013

From: Katy , TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Non-Natives, Shrubs, Trees
Title: Non-native dwarf palm leaves yellowing in Katy TX
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

1 month ago we planted dwarf palms, the leaves are turning yellow, does this mean we are over watering them? If so how much water do they require? Is there anything we can give them? We also have a fan tail palm with yellow tips.

ANSWER:

We could find no plant, native or non-native, for which the official name was "dwarf palm," and there were none in our Native Plant Database. From Wikipedia: "Arecaceae are a botanical family of perennial lianas, shrubs, and trees commonly known as palms. (Due to historical usage, the family is alternatively called Palmae or Palmaceae."

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, home of Mr. Smarty Plants, is committed to the growth, propagation and protection of plants native not only to North America but also to the area in which those plants are being grown. Neither the family Palmaceae nor Arecaceae appear in our Native Plant Database.

We found a couple websites where you might be able to identify your plant, and there are many websites on care and culture of individual plants.

Palm Trees from Around the World