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
Tuesday - September 10, 2013
From: Pittsburgh, PA
Region: Mid-Atlantic
Topic: Plant Identification
Title: Plant identification
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
I love around Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, and I saw a strange plant. It has a soft green outer shell, a harder thinner shell inside, points, but aren't pointy, and a white substance out of the stem when picked. Thanks for your help!ANSWER:
Mr. Smarty Plants hopes you have a photo of this plant because its description is not bringing any plant that I know of to mind. If you do have a photo, please visit our Plant Identification page to find links to several plant identification forums that accept photos of plants for identification. The UBC Botanical Gardens Forum is especially good at identifying plants. Please read the "Important Notes..." section before you submit your photo.
If you don't have a photo, perhaps you could expand your description a bit. Are you describing the entire plant or is this its flower or its fruit? How large is the plant? What habitat is it growing in? Does it have leaves? If so, what are their shapes and how are they arranged on the stem? Do they come off the stem opposite each other or at alternate spots on the stem? Is it a woody plant or an herbaceous plant? Any other information about how the plant is structured would be helpful.
More Plant Identification Questions
Identity of plant with purple flower and tomato-like fruit
April 24, 2012 - Along the Lake Erie shoreline in Buffalo there is a summer blooming plant with a purple flower and hard flattened tomato like fruit, diameter of a quarter. It has pretty small green leaves with fine ...
view the full question and answer
Plant ID from Bloomsdale MO
August 19, 2010 - I have found a plant growing on the side of the road in a weedy area, looks like a poker flower, the plant has Red/orange seed pods growing to a point. no flowers right now. grows on a stem very much...
view the full question and answer
Identity of evergreen tree at Barton Springs in Austin TX
October 11, 2015 - I am trying to identify an evergreen tree at Barton Springs in Austin. It is growing on the south lawn overlooking the pool. It has needles arranged in a fan like shape and makes a kind of crown-shape...
view the full question and answer
Identity of vines in Florida
October 30, 2012 - Hello, I have 2 different types of vines growing in my shrubs. They are very pretty and I like them I just want to know if they are poisonous or if they will take over my shrubs. I have not been able ...
view the full question and answer
Origin of sticky, smelly substance on dog in Southern California
August 27, 2011 - I just took my dog out (mid August) in Aguanga, CA (high desert) and, after coming back in, noted that his feet and legs were covered in a very sticky substance that STINKS - there is some kind of pla...
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |