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
Thursday - April 01, 2010
From: Rose City, MI
Region: Midwest
Topic: Shrubs
Title: Identification of poisonous shrub native to Michigan
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
This is found throughout the northern portion of the LP and in the UP. It grows to 3' as a shrub. It's leaves twigs and flowers ARE POISONOUS! It blooms in the Spring and can be found in the sun and in bogs, as well as a few other locations. This plant is native to Michigan. I can not identify it.ANSWER:
You haven't given Mr. Smarty Plants much to go on except that it is a shrub that is poisonous and is native to Michigan. However, here are a few possibilities:
Kalmia angustifolia (sheep laurel)
Cicuta maculata (spotted water hemlock)
Baptisia alba (white wild indigo)
Datura wrightii (sacred thorn-apple)
Dirca palustris (eastern leatherwood) and here are photos and more information
Andromeda polifolia (bog rosemary)
Rhamnus alnifolia (alderleaf buckthorn) and here are photos and more information
Viburnum opulus var. americanum (American cranberrybush)
The plants above are native to Michigan and are all listed on one or more of the following toxic plant databases:
Poisonous Plants of North Carolina Database, Cornell University Plants Poisonous to Livestock, and Canadian Poisonous Plants Information System.
You can see a list of Michigan shrubs that would potentially grow in bogs by doing a COMBINATION SEARCH in our Native Plant Database and choosing 'Michigan' from Select State or Province, 'Shrub' from Habit (general appearance), and 'Wet - soil is saturated with water' from Soil moisture.
If none of these are the plant you are trying to identify, please take photos and send them to us and we will do our very best to identify it. Please visit Mr. Smary Plants' Plant Identification page for instructions for submitting photos.
Here are photos from our Image Gallery of some of the plants above:
More Shrubs Questions
Making cuttings from purple sage in Austin, TX.
May 15, 2012 - I would like to plant additional purple sage for landscaping. May I do this with cuttings from an existing adult plant? If so, how and when would be the best method?
I live in Lago Vista, TX
view the full question and answer
Problems with non-native photinia in Austin
October 07, 2013 - Hi, I live in Cedar Park, TX (Austin Suburb)and have planted a number of Photinia shrubs in various areas of my property. All about 10 months old.
The leaves are curling along their length on many...
view the full question and answer
Shaping cenizo in Duncanville TX
October 02, 2009 - Our Silverado Sage, which we expected to be 4' to 5' high and wide based on the label when we purchased it about 10 years ago, is nearly 7' tall and very random in shape (not the evenly rounded sha...
view the full question and answer
Erosion control on partially shaded slope
November 27, 2010 - Mr. Smarty Plants,
I live in Atlanta, GA. My house is on a hill, and I am beginning to have erosion at my backyard porch (concrete slab, on the corners especially). The soil is mainly red clay, a...
view the full question and answer
Native grasses and shrubs for Houston project
November 21, 2008 - I am working on a project in Houston. As part of the sustainable approach of the project, I would like to plant native / adaptive, non-invasive grasses and shrubs. It is key that they use little wat...
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |