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.
Help us grow by giving to the Plant Database Fund or by becoming a member
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
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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20 years to bloom May 02, 2007 My girlfriend and i have come up with an interesting question, we were wondering if there is a plant in existance that takes over 20 years to bloom, and how many different kinds (if any) there are? We... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Native plants that will grow under alleopathic black walnut March 03, 2007 I have a large, beautiful black walnut tree in my yard and have trouble growing the annuals, begonia, impatients, etc., that I have always grown. They don't do well in the ground and I have resorted... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Plants that might absorb moisture from air February 27, 2007 I am searching for a plant that will reduce the relative humidity of a building. I work for a manufacturing company that is experiencing problems with water condensing on ceilings and equipment due t... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Alleotrophic effects of caffeine found in Ilex species January 24, 2007 I'm doing research for my biology class on the alleotrophic effects of caffeine. I'm planning to use Ilex vomitoria as the caffeine-producing plant. As the control I want to use another non-c... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Definition of what constitutes a native plant January 23, 2007 Hello, I am doing research concerning "native plants" for the Northeast. I am "befuddled" as I am finding conflicting definitions for what constitutes a native plant. Do you have a good definiti... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Mechanism for Cenizo bush blooming before rain October 04, 2006 Why does cenizo (aka barometer bush) bloom before it rains? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Books on Lilies August 27, 2006 Dear Sir, I am looking for a book covering the Lily Family as a whole, i.e., it should preferably also discuss other Genera than Lilium only. I am especially interested in Lily members occurring in t... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Contacts with botanical illustrators July 16, 2006 I am interested in preparing 3D (stereoscopic) illustrations of plants and flowers. Can you give some contacts with botanical illustrators for guidance? Are there any guidelines about botanical illust... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Drawings of Illinois native wildflowers July 15, 2006 I am looking for line drawings of Illinois Native Wildflowers to use for educational material for visitors to our new City Park. We plan to have signs throughout the park describing how Native Americ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Plants adding calcium to soil June 08, 2006 Hi, I am looking for a resource to help determine the functions of native plants. For instance, nitrogen fixing can be found in Indigo, Lead plant, lupines. Are there other plants that add back cal... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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