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
Thursday - January 02, 2014
From: Travis Peak, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Plant Identification, Vines
Title: Identification of a vine with 3 leaves and a red trunk
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
What is a vine with 3 leaves that has a red trunk?ANSWER:
Here are the two vines that I could find with three leaves and a reddish stem that grow in Travis County:
- Rubus trivialis (Dewberry) has red hairs on its stem and has 3-5 leaflets per stem. Here are descriptions from Oklahoma Biological Survey and from Texas A&M Aggie Horticulture. The USDA Plants Database distribution map shows it occurring in Travis County. Here are more photos from the Image Archive of Central Texas Plants from the School of Biological Science University of Texas.
- The stems on Toxicodendron radicans (Eastern poison ivy) can also be reddish or reddish-brown. Here are more photos from Image Archive of Central Texas Plants, Virginia Tech and Brandeis University. The USDA Plants Database distribution map shows it occurring in Travis County.
If neither of these is the vine you have seen and you have a photo or photos of it, please visit our Plant Identification page to find links to several plant identification forums that will accept photos of plants for identification.
From the Image Gallery
More Plant Identification Questions
Identification of
July 23, 2007 - I'm trying to identify a plant and I'm having trouble doing so. The plant was called moss by my mother,but it looks like a succulent. It grows on the ground and looks like small vines with pink stem...
view the full question and answer
Plant Identification from Pearland TX
August 10, 2013 - I am looking for a native plant; was told it was called Hummingbird Weed. Came from Coryell County. I let mine freeze and cannot find more. It has long spikes with small red trumpet-shaped blooms on ...
view the full question and answer
Identification of possible edible huckleberry in Central Texas
July 20, 2007 - I'm trying to identify a plant in my backyard, and in particular, I'm wondering if it's an edible huckleberry of some kind. Given all the rain Austin has had this summer, I wonder if it's not bey...
view the full question and answer
Plant Identification
June 07, 2009 - Having great difficulty identifying a perennial plant. Although it looks marvelous (coming in two shades), I haven't been able to correctly identify it. Local college feels it is Eupatorium Rugosum, ...
view the full question and 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 the full question and answer
| Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |