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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Smarty Plants Question Topics
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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| topic | question | |
| Differences between Ratibida columnifera and Ratibida peduncularis June 03, 2010 How do you tell the difference between Ratibida columnifera and Ratibida peduncularis. On NPIN columnifera has red and penduncularis is solid yellow, but I have seen pictures listed as columnifera tha... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification June 01, 2010 I was walking in the woods, near Dresden Michigan yesterday, in a deer friendly area, where we came upon a grouping of large, umbrella leaved plants, seemed to be interconnected and only one foot high... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification June 01, 2010 I have a grandchild that said the seed pod on a plant that looks like a clover is edible. It has clover like leaves and a little yellow flower. I did taste it and it kind of taste like a pickle. Th... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| May I send a blueberry picture for ID? May 28, 2010 May I send a digital photo of plant for confirmation that it is a wild blueberry? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| How to distinguish Malvaviscus arboreus from M. a. var. drummondii? May 28, 2010 I have a Turk's Cap plant. How do I tell if it is Malvaviscus arboreus or Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification in Michigan May 26, 2010 We are trying to identify a plant in our yard. It is seven inches tall in May, grows to about knee high, has red leaves, flowers in late June, early July. The flower is light pink. It is a perennia... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Need help identifying a plant with lupine-like leaves in La Grange Park, IL May 20, 2010 I encountered a plant on a level area just above a creek bed (moist soil, sun to partial sun) at one of the three largest grasslands in Illinois. The specific site looked like it may have been a burn ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Identification of a Kerry bush on Cape Cod May 20, 2010 I think the "bush" is called a Kerry bush - grows wild on Cape Cod - has little yellow "rose-like" flowers. - Is this the correct name and how can I make it thrive in New Hampshire? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Was my grandmother growing a Honeysuckle Bush in Middleton, Idaho? May 17, 2010 I would like to know the name of the flowering bush that grew in the backyard of my grandmother's house in Middleton, Idaho. I remember it to be purple in color and had petals with what I used to ca... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification site May 17, 2010 Is there a site I can use to identify plants by photos of leaves, flowers, berries etc? I found a plant in my yard I cannot identify. The nursery near us could not identify it. It has some groups/clus... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Sombrerito Mexicano May 16, 2010 Ratibida columnifera, almost universally called Mexican hat in English, is native to Texas and also to parts of Mexico, which leads me to wonder what the vernacular name is in Mexican Spanish. Google... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Can you identify a funny looking bulb that I bought at the grocery store? Probably not.. May 06, 2010 I looked through your data base and did not find what I was looking for. I bought this funny looking bulb at a grocery store. It looked like a giant shriveled spider when i bought them. Due to lack of... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification May 06, 2010 My neighbor has a few trees in his pasture that his horses love to eat the fruit off of. The fruit looks like a lemon but smaller and has lots of seeds inside of it. The trees have very long thorns on... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant Identification from Ephrata PA May 04, 2010 I've come across a low plant with bright green leaves and a distinct burgundy on the leaf. I've been told it's called Throw Me Over The Fence, but I believe it must be called something else. I be... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Identification of tree in Ovilla TX area May 04, 2010 Can you identify a tall,(wild?) tree covered with fragrant, pink/lavender blooms? Have seen several in the Ovilla area this spring. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification May 03, 2010 I need to identify a weed-like plant ~1 ft high with thick stems, wide leaves ending in a single point and bluish-purple tear shaped petals arranged three in a triangle. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification May 03, 2010 I have a 50 ft tree in my front forest apartment in Lewisburg, TN garden, that is blooming white cluster flowers. They are slightly fragrant. I thought Carolina silverbell but they have NO yellow stam... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| A stinging plant in Moultrie, GA? April 28, 2010 Mr. Smarty Plants, I was walking along in my lawn in some flip-flops and my foot barely grazed my ankle. As soon as it had happened, I felt this horrible pain, like a million tiny, invisible splinter... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification April 24, 2010 My son has some kind of plants, weeds, or ground cover in his yard that smell like spicy meat. When the wind blows the right way it smells like he's been grilling kolbasi on his deck/in his house. ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification April 20, 2010 I am trying to identify a flowering plant (usually potted) that is commonly seen around homes in Phoenix, AZ. It has a long (1 to 1.5 ft) bare woody stem topped by an umbel of perhaps 15-20 small red... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Mystery flower in Mesquite NY April 17, 2010 My sister recently told me a story, that one day in the Mesquite, NV area she liked a white wildflower on the side of the road, so she went to smell it, and a car stopped and told her not to touch it,... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification April 16, 2010 No pictures only memory. It looks like a dried flower and grows with other wildflowers along roadside. It is mostly purple or blue purple and sometimes called statis. Stems favor dandelions, only t... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Identification of plant in Menard TX April 16, 2010 We recently purchased 40 acres in Menard Texas on the San Saba River. There is a plant that looks like a fern that is all over the river bottom. It looks like the foliage on a carrot and they are al... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification April 06, 2010 In spot in the garden where tomatoes grew last this year, previous to planting what looks to me like a shamrock plant came up until it bloomed. Now it looks like some of the fuschia plants only the le... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Mystery fast-growing plant with the honeysuckle April 05, 2010 Mr. Smarty Plants, We have a section of honeysuckle, then a section of this 4 foot, bright, hairy green leafed, thorn bush that seems to be blooming/growing faster than the honeysuckle. Then a sectio... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification April 04, 2010 There is a wildflower growing in my pasture. It is low growing, triangle leaves, flowers are blue, five petals with what looks like a white flower in the middle. Gods blessings to all there. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification April 04, 2010 There's a wildflower growing on my patio its leaves look like the leaves of a lute leaf sage, it has a flower stalk with yellow flowers. The stalk is about a one foot high. What is the name of it? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification April 04, 2010 Just blooming out here in the Austin metro is a square-budded yellow 'daisy' with puffy center. Very like a Huisache Daisy, but the margins aren't so toothed. It's VERY common in the Austin greens... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification March 28, 2010 Found thorny bush in woods near my home that I need to identify. It is a tall shrub (approx. 10 feet) that has very large thorns on its green branches. I don't see any flowers yet. It doesn't appear... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Is Texas Mountain Laurel what I planted in Magnolia TX? March 21, 2010 I think I planted Texas Mt. Laurels and need to see a pic of early plants. Can you help? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification of tree with white blossoms in Fort Worth March 17, 2010 Live in Fort Worth, TX. Any idea what are trees blooming this week (3/18), with white blossoms and an oval green leaf about the size of a half dollar? The bark looks like an oak. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification and advice about moving it March 10, 2010 I have a plant (a thick stalk about 4 foot tall with yellow flowers on it) that blooms in the morning and the flowers fall off at night. I have searched for info on this plant and have come up short. ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Need to identify a strange plant in my flowerbed March 05, 2010 I have a strange plant that I've called a weed in my flowerbed. It doesn't have many leaves but it has round white almost bulbs at the surface of the dirt. The "bulbs" look almost like a small oni... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Identifying a plant/weed blooming in Feb. in Texas February 24, 2010 Can you help me identify a flowering plant I have found growing in my yard? It is a tiny green plant most months of the year, with very tiny deep to pastel blue flowers on it in early spring ( it is i... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant in North Georgia Mountains with strong fragrance January 20, 2010 I need to ask a question about a plant in the North Georgia Mountains which are part of the Appalachian Mountains.I need help trying to figure out what plant in the North Georgia Mountains and the App... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Identification of fleshy green lobes on the ground January 08, 2010 I have been hiking in the Austin area and it is January: Noticing dark green, rubbery, lobe shaped sheets on the ground. Less then 2". Usually near low growing fuzzy moss clumps. There are many of... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Mystery plant in New Jersey December 29, 2009 We are trying to find the name of a shrub, growing in Southern New Jersey. with red berries that grow in a group much like lilac or oak leaf hydrangea. It is "feathery", not dense. A neighbor dug u... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification December 17, 2009 For a few weeks now the front of our school has had an on and off smell that to some was like a dead animal. To others it smelled like dirty fish fry oil. Maintenance people came out and found the sou... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification, orange honeysuckle December 14, 2009 I have two potted trees in my yard. They have honeysuckle-shaped, orange flowers that bloom year long and the leaves also resemble those of honeysuckle. There were no identification tags on them whe... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification of tree with strawberry-like fruit December 11, 2009 On my walk home from work i noticed a red berry i had never seen before. It is soft like a strawberry, bumpy all over but the bumps are not individual as a raspberry has. It grows on a tall bush (very... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Bulb identification December 10, 2009 My pinecone ginger (Zingiber zerumbet), my white ginger (Hedychium coronarium) and my cana lilly roots were all accidently put in the same box and now I can't tell which is which. Is there some sort ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identfication December 06, 2009 I found a shrub I like because of the black fruit that birds like to eat but I don't know what it is. It looks similar to a blackhaw but the edges of the leaves are smooth not jagged. The fruit is a... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Purple wildflowers near Lake Tahoe November 30, 2009 I have been tasked with a challenge to find the plant that is "dark purple wild flowers at Lake Tahoe and are a magnificent thing to see in the fall. Interestingly, these wild mountain lake flowers w... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Identity of tree in Grant AL November 26, 2009 What is the name of the tree in N.E. Alabama that has a big green heart shaped leaf in Nov. with clusters or nuts & blonde small nuts the size of a pea . And deer are eating the small blonde nut in No... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| ID of plant from florist in Moorestown NJ November 21, 2009 I recently purchased a cut stem from the local florist for an autumn flower arrangement. The leaves are very, very small and bamboo-like in looks. They are not oval and are 1/8 inches long. The bra... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| What is the weed of Cortez from Shreveport, LA November 13, 2009 I am trying to locate the weed of Cortez. I live in northern Louisiana. Can you please let me know if you have ever heard of this? I was told that is a very rare large red flower that blooms in the sp... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification in Andover MA November 12, 2009 I live in MA. I have found a tree that produces an avocado like fruit with a round grooved pit. There are several of these trees in the fields where I walk and the ground is littered with these fruits... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Tree purchased at LBJWC plant sale from Austin November 10, 2009 I bought a tree at the 2008 LBJ Wildflower plant sale, it is growing great. I would like to plant it in the proper location/soil but lost the name tag and can't identify it. It has very fine leaves... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| ID of plant that looks like a pine cone? October 29, 2009 I have a plant that i was told it was a Pine Cone plant. When it blooms it looks just like a pine cone. but i can't fine anything on it. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification October 25, 2009 Deer are devastating understory in our woods. We have a highly resistant shrub purchased years ago at the state arboretum plant sale. It is about 5-6' tall, somewhat wider than that, many suckers/o... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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