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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.

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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.

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Please forgive us, but Mr. Smarty Plants has been overwhelmed by a flood of mail and must take a break for awhile to catch up. We hope to be accepting new questions again soon. Thank you!

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Sunday - March 15, 2009

From: Austin, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Non-Natives
Title: Looking for non-native angled luffa, Luffa acutangula, seeds
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

looking for angled luffa seeds in austin txThank you,your web site advertises luffa as an exception i get the run around about luffas ever where i go on the net why does evrybody advertise luffa but dont have them?

ANSWER:

Mr. Smarty Plants is a little confused.  Our focus and expertise are with plants native to North America and Luffa acutangula (angled luffa or Chinese okra) is native to Asia and, thus, not really in our purview.  We certainly didn't advertise and don't have any seeds of it for sale.  I think you are just going to have to go back to the internet to look for seeds.  Since the USDA Plants Database shows Luffa acutangula (given the strange common name sinkwa towelsponge) growing wild (but not native) in Louisiana and Virginia, you might concentrate on seed companies that are based in those states.

 
 

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