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
Wednesday - April 06, 2011
From: Augusta, GA
Region: Southeast
Topic: Plant Identification
Title: Plant identification
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
I'm trying to figure out the name of a plant/shrub purchased a couple years ago. It was a shrub (about medium sized) with yellow blooms that smelled like lemon. I don't think it was lemon balm or lemon verbena; most definitely not the golden chain tree. HELP!ANSWER:
All three of the plants you named are not native to North America:
- Melissa officinalis (Lemon balm) is native to the Mediterranean region.
- Aloysia citrodora (lemon verbena) is native to South America.
- Laburnum anagyroides (golden chain or common laburnum) and Laburnum alpinum (golden chain or Alpine laburnum) are native to Europe.
And, I suspect the one you purchased a couple of years ago is also a non-native. What we are all about here at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is the study, conservation, and promotion of the use of plants native to North America, so I'm afraid we can't really help. However, we do have a suggestion for help in identifying your plant. Please visit our Plant Identification page to find contact information for several plant forums where you can submit your question and, if you have one, a photograph to help with the identification.
More Plant Identification Questions
Plant Identification
April 16, 2009 - I have a vine in my flowerbed that has three leaves and thorns and it looks like poison ivy. How can I tell if it is?
view the full question and answer
Plant identification
August 11, 2008 - Just after the last little rain we got, I noticed a small, inconspicuous plant in my front yard that was sprouting a structure that looks for all the world like a pitcher plant. It is not, however, an...
view the full question and answer
Nomenclatural puzzles
March 25, 2008 - Hi Mr. Smarty Plants. I have been looking all day for this information. I am look for a plant that is in the genus Cucumis but not in the family Cucurbitacea. A plant that is in the family Cucurbit...
view the full question and answer
Identification of plant growing with purchased plant
September 23, 2013 - I purchased a heurchera and there was another plant that was growing in the pot with it. I planted both together in my garden. The "other" plant is growing and none of the gardeners around here has ...
view the full question and answer
Identification of vine from Las Vegas NV
July 11, 2012 - I'm interested in identifying the vine shown by the leaf in this photo: https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/zR3R4JSPYcCI4ESczNXWM4h8z33Cq5cyZNqSSYf9hx0?feat=directlink
My mother-in-law got one o...
view the full question and answer
| Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |