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 | |
| Plant with no leaves, flexible and stores water January 09, 2009 Do you now a plant that has no leaves but stores a lot of water and is very flexible? Maybe a type of vine? Thank you! View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Lycopodium digitatum for Christmas wreaths December 21, 2008 Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, That's it! The plant "Lycopodium Digitatum" posted on your website on Dec. 20, 2008 in response to my question about the proper name of "Crow's Feet" is indeed the pla... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant called crows foot/feet used to make wreaths at Christmas December 20, 2008 In Pennsylvania there was a green ground hugging vine I knew as "crow's feet/foot" we used in the 1950s at Christmas time for wreaths and window and door borders. It looked like a cluster of bird'... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Identity of dandelion-like weed in Utah December 16, 2008 What is the over-sized dandelion looking weed in utah that you can blow the seeds just like a dandelion? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification December 15, 2008 I am looking for the name of the plant that looks like the spider plant but can survive the cold weather of the northeast. It looks just like the indoor spider plant but it does not produce offshoots.... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| What trees in Austin right now have yellow leaves that are falling? December 08, 2008 Right now there are trees in Austin that have bright yellow leaves. Do you know what trees native to Austin turn a very bright yellow in November? It looks like now the leaves are starting to fall off... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Identification of Canopy Plant December 01, 2008 I recently adopted a large house plant from a neighbor who moved away. He called it a 'Canopy Plant', but I'm having no luck with that name when I search for care tips. It seems to be in poor healt... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification November 25, 2008 I live north of Chicago. I have been Gardening just about everything forever. I finally got a surprise gift from a migrating bird, squirrel or possibly my kitchen composting. Apparently from a seed gr... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant Identification November 15, 2008 Hi, I live in ne pa.i have always had a fasvorite wild flower with yellow flowers in the spring. the plant lasts all summer and fall til first frost. It gets small thin bean like seed pods that I save... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification November 14, 2008 On our farm we found a plant that we had never seen before. It has long stems coming from center ground level and is about 3 feet tall, looks like a fern from far off. The leaves (length of finger) ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant Identification November 09, 2008 I recently found a GIANT green seed pod around my small town in Northern Virginia. It's about 1 ft. 3 in. in diameter (15 in.) and its making me very curious as to what exactly it is. For the life of... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification, Russian olive or buffaloberry November 09, 2008 Thank you for the info I found here regarding the silver buffaloberry and the russian olive. I need help in identifying which small shrub I have(it is one or the other)that was transplanted here on o... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant Identification October 30, 2008 Hi. I took a picture of a plant/wildflower at Reimer's Ranch near Dripping SPrings and have been unable to identify it. I searched through the plant database but am having difficulty. Can I send y... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Identification of tree with fuschia berries in Pennsylvania October 26, 2008 Northeastern Pennsylvania tree with fuschia berries in autumn. Found one in woods,never saw one before. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant Identification October 23, 2008 We live near Milwaukee Wisconsin. This summer a 5' plant grew by itself in the middle of my flower bed. It has elongated oval green leaves, but its the flowers that are exceptional. They are long,... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Tree with bright green seeds the size of a softball October 22, 2008 My daughter has moved to Taylorsville,Ga and thier are trees that drop bright green seed pods that are round and the size of a soft ball. The outer skin resembles a human brain. Do you have any idea w... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant Identification October 13, 2008 We have 105 acres in Mid Michigan. Part of this land is marshland. There is a plant-flower that I have never seen before and no one knows what it is. It is on a long stem with long skinny leaves (2... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification October 12, 2008 I found gorgeous berries on a tree or large bush (about 10 feet tall) and clipped a little cluster the size of my hand. There are 6 or more, starting the size of a blueberry in lime green and growing ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification October 09, 2008 I have a random flower growing out of my rabbit's grave and I can not identify it. Nothing like it grows around us and I didn't plant anything there. The petals are white. There are five of them. Th... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification September 30, 2008 I was just in Alabama this weekend and all alongside the road-side were these georgeous pink flowers. I finally stopped to pick one and thet are even prettier up close! The stem is smooth and leafle... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification September 29, 2008 My parents have a plant growing that we can not identify. Fast growing to 6 ft in 6 weeks. theleaves look like a fern with little sweet pea looking yellow blooms. The plants leaves fold up at dusk tig... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant Identification September 24, 2008 I have a single stem red vine with purple berries growing on it. It is in a cluster of bushes and gets mostly morning and early afternoon sun. The berries also have small bumps at the stem. I have ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification September 24, 2008 I found a flower about 5 inches tall and it is Pinkish White the head of it hangs down and looks like a rose that hasn't bloomed yet. It reminds me of an Orchid like Fairy . Its Mystic like! what is ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification, green and tube-like September 18, 2008 LOOKING FOR NAME OF A GREEN TUBE-LIKE PLANT (SHAPED LIKE A CALLA LILY). THE VEINS ARE VISIBLE. MAYBE IN CLUSTER View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification September 17, 2008 I have a plant that I think is called a Brookmania or Bookmania. It has beautiful purple flowers with white centers and darker leaves. I cannot find any info on this flower. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification, possibly chile pequin September 17, 2008 Found in my back yard a plant about 18 inches tall. it has tiny white 5 petal flowers and small (smaller than a pea) fuits. The fruits smell just like bell pepper. My nose itched after smelling it. ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Pepper plants growing in California September 11, 2008 Hello, I have several hot pepper plants growing in my yard. I would like to know what the pepper is called. I dry them out and grind them up to a powder and use it in many dishes. I have asked my l... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Mystery Iris-like plant in Tennessee September 02, 2008 What is this flower? It came up and bloomed for about five days then died. It was a beautiful white trumpet shaped flower. It had one stem with four flowers. It came up like an Iris but we nver plante... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant ID from New York September 02, 2008 I have a large leaf from a plant that my grandfather has. We live in Niagara county NY. The large leaf is green and has a red stem, growing on a stalk THICK like a sunflower, now has red or black berr... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant Identification in Tennessee September 02, 2008 I live in upper East Tennessee and all my life I have seen a flowering bush we call a Bubbie (or Bubby). It grows to an average approximate height of 6 feet and blooms in the early summer. The blooms ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Bulbs named exotica September 01, 2008 When I purchased some seed from a catalog I received some free bulbs called exotica which I planted.They have long green stems. I don't know what they are or what to do with them. Can I plant them ou... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Help with plant identification. September 01, 2008 We need help identifying a perennial in our backyard, which we assume is a native/wildflower, but might not be. It has yellow flowers with 5/6 petals (delicatea, starlike/about 1-1.5 inches across) a... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Mystery dill-type weed September 01, 2008 My daughter has a weed growing in her flower bed that look very simular to dill weed, but thicker. If you pinch it, it has a sticky milky substance come out. Can you tell me what this plant may be? ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Mystery plants at Marble Falls September 01, 2008 On the upper end of Lake Marble Falls is a 2-3 foot tall green stemed plant just blooming small white daisy like flowers. There are no leaves on the plant just stems and now flowers. Any idea where ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Tree with orange flower blooming in August in West Virginia August 28, 2008 There is a tree with an orange flower in West Virginia. The orange is at the top of the tree and it blooms in August. I've searched your sight but cannot find it. Thanks! View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Instructions for Plant ID August 28, 2008 Hi- I have an unidentified small white flowering plant photo to try to identify. Would you be willing to see what you think it is or refer me to someone to whom I could send it? It was photographed on... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification August 28, 2008 Hello. There is a plant growing next to my 4 o'clocks that I didn't plant which is almost the same height as them, but has different leaves and it grows wider. It has these huge light green upside d... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant with stalk of purple berries August 27, 2008 I have a plant that just grows.large hollow purple stalk, purple berries in long clusters , grows very tall any thoughts.. it grows like a weed View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification August 24, 2008 Please help us identify a woodland plant whose fruiting stem looks very similar to a corncob stuck into the ground, pointy end up. It sticks up about 4-5" above the ground. The largish pale yellow fr... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Weird-looking rootless plant, perhaps a fungus August 23, 2008 While out it my backyard (i.e. the Black Hills of South Dakota), I spotted a weird-looking rootless plant (I think it may be a fungus) growing beneath the Ponderosa Pines. It was the only one in the a... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification August 19, 2008 Hi, I live in South West Michigan and there is this plant I can't figure out. It has oval leaves in a row on each side of its stems, large thorns, and when the plant is grown it has what seems to be... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification August 17, 2008 We are trying to identify a plant we saw on a walk. It's about a foot high. About halfway up, the stem splits in two. From there up the two stems are covered with white kind of loosely trumpet sha... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification August 16, 2008 I walk in a wooded area. There is a plant with large spade like leaves.It grow to about 4 to 6 ft. In other areas it has grown almost tree-like with green sticky nuts or seeds. I believe it had purple... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant Identification August 15, 2008 My father-in-law received seeds from a friend-- he didn't know what kind of plant it would grow. Now he questions what kind of plant it is-- it has a red stalk and 17 inch leaves, it appears to grow... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification August 15, 2008 Virginia Creeper or something else? I live in McKinney, Tx, and have a limestone escarpment in back that leads down to a "white rock " creek. A wrought iron fence separates the yard area from the ri... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant Identification August 13, 2008 I have a plant that shoots seeds out of pods in late summer and grows like crazy. The stem looks like a rhubarb plant. It has multiple leaves, and beautiful flowers that look like orchids. I was wo... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification August 13, 2008 Every spring I see these very unique white flowers that grow along the edge of wooded areas. I live in upstate NY. These flowers have some reddish tint to the stem and leaves. The blooms are all si... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification August 13, 2008 Bought a plant don't know what it is or how to care for it. It looks like it's dying. Description: light to dark green, long, skinny, rounded trunk, surrounded and topped with grass like blades(top ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification August 13, 2008 Can you identify a shrub in my backyard? It has odd looking seed pods with three chambers and hard black seeds inside roughly 1/8" in diameter. The pods themselves are brown, hard shell, and hang d... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification August 11, 2008 Just after the last little rain we got, I noticed a small, inconspicuous plant in my front yard that was sprouting a structure that looks for all the world like a pitcher plant. It is not, however, an... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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