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 - August 25, 2009
From: Lebanon, CT
Region: Northeast
Topic: Plant Identification
Title: Plant Identification from Lebanon CT
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
What is that plant-- a wildflower --large thick stalk--flowers can be purple, pink, and very light pink. 3 branches off of stalk--flowers growing up each branch. Flowers smell similar to peonies.Leaves are growing up stalk--long leaves with serrated edges. At the bottom of each plant it had what looked like tentacles.???ANSWER:
Although Mr. Smarty Plants is a far-flung group, none of us live in Connecticut. Your description was good, and it sounds a little bit like a member of the Monarda genus. There are six of them native to Connecticut, and they should be blooming about now. We will list them and you can follow the links to the individual webpages on each plant. We will also include some pictures from our Image Gallery. If we guessed wrong, please go to our instructions for submitting a photo, so we can make another attempt.
Monarda clinopodia (white bergamot)
Monarda didyma (scarlet beebalm)
Monarda fistulosa (wild bergamot)
Monarda media (purple bergamot)
Monarda punctata (spotted beebalm)
Monarda punctata ssp. punctata var. villicaulis (spotted beebalm)
More Plant Identification Questions
Plant identification of yellow daisy-like flowers blooming in Austin
October 25, 2010 - What is the name of the yellow daisy-like bush that is blooming now all over the Hill Country of Texas? The plant varies from 3 to 5 feet. The petals on the bloom vary from 8 to 10. The flowers are...
view the full question and answer
Plant ID of unknown purchased plant from Boise ID
June 24, 2012 - Hi! I bought a tree that the sales person didnt know what it was. I thought it was a cherry tree and now after about 3-4 yrs I know it is but..How do I know if it is an ornamental tree or real fruit t...
view the full question and answer
Plant Identification from Pearland TX
August 10, 2013 - I am looking for a native plant; was told it was called Hummingbird Weed. Came from Coryell County. I let mine freeze and cannot find more. It has long spikes with small red trumpet-shaped blooms on ...
view the full question and answer
Identification of tall plant with five-petaled purple flowers
June 01, 2013 - I recently moved into a house and have a plant near my fence that has purple flowers with five petals and a somewhat thick stem, about a half inch. The leaves are sparse and it grows about four to si...
view the full question and answer
Identification of small dome-shaped furry plant, smells like bubblegum
November 21, 2013 - Hi, I always see this plant when I'm on the river trail in Redding CA. and I can't find it anywhere on the internet. The plant is very small, I think it is some type of weeds that grow. It's a ligh...
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |