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
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 - May 31, 2011
From: South Salem, NY
Region: Northeast
Topic: Plant Identification
Title: Identification of small plant
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
Hi, Mr. Smarty Plants, We are doing a biology project where we have to identify certain plants found in our area. We encountered a infinity symbol-shaped light green plant, about 4 cm high, and light green. There are two leaves on the top making a T shape. We were thinking maybe it was a small sapling of some kind. Any idea as to what it could be? Thank you! From the frustrated biology studentsANSWER:
Dear Frustrated Biology Students: I am afraid you are going to continue to be frustrated because, from your description, I don't know what your plant could be. You should realize (and probably do) that tiny plants without flowers are incredibly hard to identify—especially from a description alone. Also, I'm not sure what about the plant is 'infinity shaped'. Is it the arrangement of the two leaves? Or, are they shaped like the letter T? From its size and the fact that it only has two leaves, it sounds like a seedling of some sort. There is a British database, Seedling Images, that shows hundreds of seedlings. Most are European species, but there is a good representation of North American species as well. Virginia Tech has a Weed Identification Guide that has seedling photographs for many of the species. If you have a photo of the plant, you could consider submitting it for identification to one of the forums listed on our Plant Identification pages.
More Plant Identification Questions
Identification of shrub/small tree with small purple fruit
July 31, 2013 - Hi! I have a tree/bush that has come up on its own in the backyard. This year it set what looks like small purple plums. Is there any chance that they might be poisonous?
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
Plant identification, Oxalis drummondii
October 07, 2009 - All around Austin in the last couple of weeks I've noticed a beautiful lavender flower blooming in dense clumps. I haven't been able to look at them closely because it seems they prefer to be in th...
view the full question and answer
Information about a red-flowered Pavonia lasiopetala in central TX.
September 07, 2010 - I have grown Pavonia for years and just let it re-seed where it wants (and remove if I don't want it where it falls). This year I created a new 6 inch raised bed amended with compost and some manure...
view the full question and answer
Difference between Convallaria majalis and Convallaria majuscula
May 17, 2012 - How do you tell the difference in the native convallaria from the European species?
view the full question and answer
| Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |