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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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Friday - April 02, 2010

From: San Marcos, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Trees
Title: Offer to send Bumelia to Kansas from Central Texas.
Answered by: Joe Marcus

QUESTION:

If you send my email to the person who wanted the Bumelia lanuginosa (synonym: Sideroxylon langinosum), I will dig some for him/her.

ANSWER:

Your offer is much-appreciated.  However, the subspecies of Bumelia that occurs in Kansas is not the same as those that occur in Central Texas - Sideroxylon lanuginosum ssp. oblongifolium in Kansas and S. l. ssp. albicans and S. l. ssp. rigidum in Texas.  Because the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is dedicated to promoting the use and appreciation of native plants in their native regions it would be a violation of our mission to facilitate or encourage that.

Finally, Central Texas Bumelia are afflicted with a blight-type disorder that we would not want to see spread to populations of trees in other parts of the country if they are not so afflicted already.
 

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