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 is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
rate this answer
Tuesday - October 14, 2014
From: Austin, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: General Botany
Title: Water Use Versus Soil Moisture
Answered by: Anne Van Nest
QUESTION:
In the Native Plant Database, under Growing Conditions what is the difference between water use and soil moisture? Sometimes they seem contradictory.ANSWER:
Good question! Thanks for using the Native Plant Database and noticing this. Plants that are listed in the Native Plant Database under Growing Conditions do have designations for Water Use: Low, Medium, High and Soil Moisture: Dry, Moist, Wet.
Most often one logically matches the other. For example for Salvia azurea, water use is listed as low and soil moisture is indicated as dry. But these two growing criteria can be mutually exclusive. The water use designation is how much water that the plant needs to survive, while the soil moisture listing indicates the soil conditions that the plant (roots) will tolerate. There are some unique native plants that don't use much water but their roots can tolerate being quite soggy.
For example, Carex stipata (awlfruit sedge) uses a medium amount of water but can tolerate moist to wet soil moisture.
Another example is Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (kinnikinnick) which has low water use but can tolerate moist, boggy soils (and dry, rocky soils).
And lastly, there's Magnolia grandiflora (Southern magnolia). This plant has a high water use rating but can tolerate a dry soil moisture level (but not totally dry as it does prefer moist soil).
From the Image Gallery
More General Botany Questions
Albinism in plants.
May 16, 2010 - Greetings, I was wondering what you know of albinism in plants? I know I've found a few articles about it online. I discovered my only albino plant last summer. It was an albino dogbane plant grow...
view the full question and answer
How do Venus flytraps really work?
May 13, 2010 - How do venus flytraps *really* work? I've read it has something to do with the hairs in their "mouth," but is there a chemical reaction going on? A physical "trigger"? Help me understand the Venu...
view the full question and answer
Plant cloning or genetic engineering
February 23, 2012 - Can you take one genome (strain) and take a clean cut and put onto another plant another strain?
view the full question and answer
Variation in leaves for Vitis mustangensis
May 17, 2012 - Hi, I am doing a sculpture of a mustang grape vine in limestone. In seeking a good leaf image I notice that there are both roundish shaped leaves and highly divided or "fingered" shapes on your sit...
view the full question and answer
Does music affect sunflower growth from Pentwater MI
January 12, 2010 - Does music affect sunflower growth?
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |