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
Friday - May 08, 2015
From: Laredo, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Plant Identification, Vines
Title: Identity of vining plants in yard in Texas
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
I have vining plants in my back-yard, here when I bought the house, that, from what I have been able to find on-line, look like poison sumac, however, I know they are not. Leaf shape, color, and appearance seem to be almost identical, growth pattern of leaves is 13 to a stem, however, no red in the stem, just plain green, and currently nothing resembling any flower blooms or berries. I cannot seem to find this plant on-line or anyone who knows what it is. In all probability they were purchased from Lowe's, (I can find most of all the other plants in my front and back yard at Lowe's) however, currently, I don't seem to find anything at Lowe's that resemble theses, help!ANSWER:
The Wildflower Center's focus and expertise are in plants native to North America. If you suspect your unidentified vines are from Lowe's, it is highly unlikely that they are plants native to North America. Your best bet is to take photographs of the plant and visit our Plant Identification page where you will find links to plant identification forums that accept photos of plants for identification. Be sure to read the "Important Notes" at the bottom of the page with advice on taking and submitting photos.
More Plant Identification Questions
Picture in newspaper from Austin
June 02, 2012 - Your gardening story for the Jan 21,2012 in the Austin American Statesman pictured a pale green bush with purple flowers, however the plant was not identified. Can you tell me what it is?
Thanks
view the full question and answer
Identity of tree with fragrant yellow flowers and thorns
June 06, 2013 - I'm not sure if this is a native plant. It's a tree, around 15" tall. The leaves are in bunches with 3-4 very sharp small spines at each bunch. Flowers are small, yellow, hang down from the leaf...
view the full question and answer
Identification of tree with red feathery leaves
March 08, 2012 - What is the name of a tree with dark red leaves, feathery, slim trunk; maybe in the pepper family? Jedi?
view the full question and answer
Identification of tiny blue flower blooming in February
March 18, 2013 - There is a very small four petal flower that appears near the end of Winter. (This year they appeared in late Feb).
These little flowers are a "Light Blueish" hue. They are around a quarter inch ac...
view the full question and answer
Identification of growth on possible oak tree
March 24, 2008 - We have photographed a very unusual bloom or growth on a tree we suspect may be an oak, and would like to submit photos of the bloom, bark, and (leafless) tree to someone for identification. My wild ...
view the full question and answer
| Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |
