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
Saturday - August 02, 2014
From: Breckenridge, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Plant Identification
Title: Plant identification of orange-flowered plant with portulaca-like leaves
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
As a last resort, I'm asking you. The plant identification page has not been helpful. Recently moved to Breckenridge, Texas and found several plants with 5 petaled orange flowers in the pasture. Lots of branches on each 10 in. plant, but has almost portulaca leaves. I don't know if it's a wildflower or something the previous owner may have planted. Flowers or about 3/4 in. across. I dug them up to move closer to house and the roots are like tubers. I'm stumped!ANSWER:
Here is my best guess as to what your orange-flowered plant is—Phemeranthus aurantiacus (Orange flameflower). Its leaves look like those of portulaca plants—indeed, it is in the Family Portulacaceae (Purslane Family)—and it has a fleshy tuber-like root. The USDA Plants Database distribution map shows it occurring in Stephens County.
If that isn't your plant, here are a couple of other possibilities.
Sphaeralcea hastulata (Spear globemallow)
Portulaca umbraticola (Wingpod purslane) Here are photos of this plant with orange flowers from Desert Tropicals and Southeastern Arizona Wildflowers.
If none of these is your plant, then try our Plant Identification page again where you will find links to several plant identification forums that accept photos of plants for identification. I recommend the one on the UBC Botanical Garden Forums page.
From the Image Gallery
More Plant Identification Questions
Invasive spreading weed in Michigan that looks like a small pine tree
July 29, 2013 - I have an invasive spreading weed in my gardens. It has black root system, comes up looking like a small pine tree. The green breaks off when you try to pull it.
view the full question and answer
Learning to identify native plants in backyard
June 28, 2011 - Please let me know how a layman like myself can identify native plants in my backyard. I don't know the plant names and don't know if they are dicots or any other technical terms (that some websites...
view the full question and answer
Idendification of plants with white cotton ball flowers
July 03, 2012 - A few months ago I found a small plant with a white cotton ball type flower on it. It had red spots. It was on the bank of the Nashua river. I had never seen this before, and I am having a hard time ...
view the full question and answer
Vine with wine-colored flowers in Washington County, TX
April 04, 2014 - I'm trying to identify a deep purple wine colored flowering vine in Washington County, Texas. It looks very similar to Texas wisteria, but it is something else. I've seen them growing in vineyards...
view the full question and answer
Non-native eleagnus from Jesup GA
January 17, 2014 - An elderly farmer has told me about a plant called Alley Agnes, but I can't find any plant by this name anywhere. He doesn't know another name for it, says it's what everyone has always called it i...
view the full question and answer
| Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |