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 - May 30, 2012
From: Antioch, TN
Region: Southeast
Topic: Plant Identification, Vines
Title: Identification of vine with 4-petaled purple flower
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
Does anybody know what vine has a purple four petaled flower with small bulb in middle??ANSWER:
One vine that I found that meets your description is Clematis occidentalis var. occidentalis (Purple clematis). The USDA Plants Database shows its distribution to include adjacent Virginia and North Carolina, but not Tennessee. However, there is the possibility that it could occur in Tennessee and hasn't yet been reported. You can see more photos and information from US Forest Service and from the the University of Michigan Plant Diversity Website.
If that isn't the vine you have seen, then you can do a COMBINATION SEARCH for native vines that occur in Tennessee in our Native Plant Database by choosing "Tennessee" from the Select State or Province option and "Vine" from the Habit (general appearance) slot. If it is not a native vine, it won't appear in our database. If you have a photo, you can visit our Plant Identification page to find links to several plant identification forums that accept photos of plants for identification.
From the Image Gallery
More Plant Identification Questions
Identity of bulbs from digging in an anthole
June 13, 2012 - I was digging in an ant hole and it collapsed and as I dug it out, I found around 50 white bulbs that did not have a smell or roots. They resembled onion bulbs. I have a picture of these and they are...
view the full question and answer
Plant identification
September 17, 2008 - I have a plant that I think is called a Brookmania or Bookmania. It has beautiful purple flowers with white centers and darker leaves. I cannot find any info on this flower.
view the full question and answer
Plant identfication
October 05, 2009 - While visiting a lake near Dallas, Texas this past summer, I found a flower floating in the lake. It was small, only about an inch or so across, had three petals, was a deep magenta shade, and had th...
view the full question and answer
Purple bellshaped flowers in Washington state
July 16, 2008 - on Larch mountain, in the state of Washington, I saw purple, bell shaped flowers growing on a stalk. what are they?
view the full question and 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 the full question and answer
| Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |