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
Monday - August 07, 2006
From: Toronto, ON
Region: Canada
Topic: Non-Natives
Title: Non-native Merremia tuberosa
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
Respected Sir, I have been trying to find the scientific name and a sapling of a plant which had "flowers that look like rose flowers but are brown in color and have a paper like texture"---I have seen these florals in India(Western region), we friends called them "woodroses".I don't think they had any fragrance.I have seen these at least about15-16 years back--when I was a school kid. I simply remember them as they did not wilt, now I want them in my backyard.Could you please help me identify this plant/tree and where can I get a sapling of this? I shall be extremelt grateful to you forever for this help---please help me. Thank you for your time.ANSWER:
You must be talking about Merremia tuberosa, a vine from tropical America. Synonyms for this plant are: Ipomoea tuberosa and Operculina tuberosa. It is the dry fruits, not the flowers, that look like roses. If you do a Google search on the botanical name, you will find a number of sources, such as Aloha Tropicals, for seeds or plants.More Non-Natives Questions
Habiturf for Round Rock TX
March 17, 2013 - Topic Habiturf. We have just aerated our lawn. We were planning on throwing out bermudagrass seed. We already have bermudagrass as well as many weeds in the lawn especially the blue stem clump grass w...
view the full question and answer
Aging non-native weeping willow in Ohio
June 11, 2008 - We had a weeping willow now for about 15 years and it was doing fine until this summer. It has new branches sort of but a lot of the older ones are dying. There are leaves of course and they are sti...
view the full question and answer
Problems with non-native privet in Austin
November 15, 2010 - My 2 privet shrubs/bushes facing the east in a shady area seem to be have less leaves and dead flowers, while across a walk way that 1 privet shrub/bush has lots of green leaves with lots of dying flo...
view the full question and answer
Overwintering Ruellia brittoniana in Missouri
October 03, 2015 - I live in Missouri and have five beautiful Mexican Petunia or Ruellia brittoniana planted and established in my landscaping. With winter fast approaching, I would love advise on how to winterize the p...
view the full question and answer
How Can I Tell an Invasive Thistle from a Native
May 01, 2012 - Mr Smarty Plants,
I have some thistles coming up in my yard. I'd like to keep them if they are native, but not if they are invasive or non-native. How can I tell? My yard is a wild area in West Lak...
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |