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

Sunday - September 21, 2014
From: Pahrump, NV
Region: Rocky Mountain
Topic: Plant Identification, Problem Plants
Title: What is the plant called wingspan?
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
I have a lot of environmental allergies and saw a positive result for "wingspan" yet I cannot find ANY information online about that particular plant. I was told it's "tumbleweed" by the medical assistant but even then there are many varieties of "tumbleweed." Please reply if you can with the species/varieties of plants that make up the term "wingspan." Thank you, very much for your time.ANSWER:
I believe you mean Atriplex canescens (Chamiso or Wingscale). It is known to be a severe allergen. You can see in the USDA Plants Database Distribution Map that it occurs in all the western half of the US and into Alberta, Canada. Here is a description from Southeastern Arizona Wildflowers.
Here is information from a couple of allergy websites naming it:
And here is an article about it from a blogger in Cochise County, Arizona—Ghost32Writer—with a description of his wife's severe allergic reaction to wingscale.
Wingscale isn't a tumbleweed, but the pollen from tumbleweed flowers are also an allergen. The tumbleweed seen in the movies typifying the West is really an invasive plant from Eurasia, Salsola spp. (Russian thistle or wind witch). Here is another discussion of tumbleweeds from Utah State University's The Great Basin and Invasive Weeds. According to PubMed and Pollen Library, the pollen of various species of Salsola are allergens.
From the Image Gallery
More Plant Identification Questions
Plant identification of ethereal plant in Colorado
August 28, 2010 - We live in the south central mountains of Colorado in the upper Arkansas River valley near Salida, Colorado. During the past few weeks we have noticed a very mystic looking plant (flower/grass?) alon...
view the full question and answer
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
Identification of a vine in El Paso, Texas
November 23, 2012 - I live in Del Rio Texas - Zone 8/9 and I have a vine which can't be identified. It looks like a morning glory white flower with crimson throat, but the leaf pattern is like a 5-7 fingered hand with d...
view the full question and answer
Identity of vine growing in Naples Florida
September 15, 2014 - I live on country/residential property outside of Naples, Florida. This year I have had dozens of seedlings of some type of vine popping up all over. I have posted on a couple plant blogs looking for ...
view the full question and 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 the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |