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 - August 07, 2014
From: Galveston, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Plant Identification
Title: Plant identification
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
there is a plant in our yard...I believe it to be in the seed phase..it has 3 or 5 pointed leaves topped with a green fuzzy ball then another set of leaves and a green fuzzy ball..this is continued all the walk up the stock...I have a picture I can send..at first I thought it was a foxglove seed pod but its not slick like they are..please helpANSWER:
Since it showed up in your yard it probably isn't a native plant but a non-native cultivar whose seed came from someone else's garden. Since our focus and expertise are with plants native to North America we are not going to be much help with non-natives. Nevertheless, I will suggest a few native plants in the Family Lamiaceae (Mint Family) which have similarities to your description. You need to realize that the photos we have usually show the plants in full bloom. I've tried to find photos of flowers that are past their prime so that they might look like the plant you describe.
Hyptis alata (Clustered bushmint) Here is a photo from SpaceCoastWildflowers (you will need to scroll down the page to find the photo).
Monarda citriodora (Lemon beebalm) Here is a photo of a slightly more mature plant.
Monarda clinopodioides (Basil beebalm) Here is an illustration from PlantsIllustration.org.
Monarda punctata (Spotted beebalm) Here is a photo from Earth Tones Native.
If none of these is your plant and you say you have photo, please go to our Plant Identification page to find links to several plant identification forums that will accept photos of plants for identification.
From the Image Gallery
More Plant Identification Questions
Orange-flowered bush on Wildflower Center grounds
April 19, 2015 - What is the orange colored bush like Sphaeralcea blooming right now. It is in one of the planted gardens. I could find no name plate.
view the full question and answer
Plant identification
August 13, 2008 - Bought a plant don't know what it is or how to care for it. It looks like it's dying. Description: light to dark green, long, skinny, rounded trunk, surrounded and topped with grass like blades(top ...
view the full question and answer
Identification of alien-looking plant
June 06, 2013 - I have a plant that grows 4-5 feet tall, it has pretty "alien looking" flowers with "pods" under flower, and marijuana looking leaves and smell. My neighbor gave me a start last year, and it has ...
view the full question and answer
Dfferences between Argemone arizonica and other Argemones
October 27, 2005 - I am trying to find information about the differences
between the Argemone
arizonica which grows only in the Grand Canyon and the
other Argemones
which grow in the rest of the U.S. Do you have any...
view the full question and answer
Dill-like plant in veggie garden in California
September 28, 2011 - I have a plant that appeared in my veggie garden. Looks like dill in spring when green, but the leaves smell more like turpentine! Now, 4-5 foot tall, brown, it produces lots of small, oval - not cr...
view the full question and answer
| Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |