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
Friday - October 17, 2014
From: Weatherford, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Plant Identification, Vines
Title: Identification of a vine with red berries in Weatherford, Texas
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
I have found a vine with red berries that I would appreciate an ID for. How can I send you a photo or two of it?ANSWER:
If you found your vine growing somewhere in the wild, the most likely identification for it is the native Cocculus carolinus (Carolina snailseed).
If you found the vine growing in or near someone's garden, it could possibly be Lycium barbarum (Matrimony vine or Goji berry), a native of China and other parts of Asia. It is a vining shrub with red berries—goji berries—that are purported to act as antioxidants and it has other medicinal qualities. It is reported as occurring in Parker County by the USDA Plants Database. Here are photos and more information from the Institute for Traditional Medicine and from Montana Plant Life.
These two are the only vines with red berries reported to be in Parker County, Texas. If neither of these is the vine you saw, please visit our Plant Identification page to links to several plant identification forums that will accept photos of plants for identification.
From the Image Gallery
More Plant Identification Questions
Report on object glowing in tree in New Hampshire
August 04, 2013 - Hello again Mr Smartpants. I commented about a purple glow coming from a tree in previous comments. Since then they have multiplied and are spreading to different trees. We believe we may have it narr...
view the full question and answer
Plant identification
July 08, 2010 - Found in a cedar swamp near Wolverine Michigan. Large dinner plate size flat green leaf on a mottled green and brown fleshy stem of about 8 or 10 inches. I first thought it was a tri-leaf plant but it...
view the full question and answer
Smarty Plants on Smoke Tree
July 11, 2005 - I live in Indianapolis Indiana and there is this wonderful tree on my street which has the most unusual flowers that I've ever seen. They look like pink and white fiber optics. Spencer gift stores us...
view the full question and answer
Identification of groundcover plant in north Georgia mountains
September 16, 2011 - Was trail riding in N GA mountains - saw pretty ground cover plant ? vine - small green leaves with whitish borders almost look like clover leaves and has small bright red red berries - this was Aug 2...
view the full question and answer
Information about native aconitum
February 27, 2008 - There was a picture of a plant in our local newspaper this past week. In the photo ID they called this plant an aconite, a member of the buttercup family. My questions are: is there such a plant? is i...
view the full question and answer
| Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |