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.
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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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Tuesday - November 02, 2010
From: Tuscola, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Plant Identification
Title: Plant identification
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
Near Abilene State Park, a plant's leaves turn purple and it seems to have a pineapple looking growth. We call it the purple pineapple?ANSWER:
It's not usually easy to identify a plant from a description alone, but this sounds like Eryngium leavenworthii (Leavenworth's eryngo). Here are some excellent photos for the the botany course, Natives Plants of Central Texas from the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Texas.
From the Image Gallery
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