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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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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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Saturday - June 20, 2015

From: Paron, AR
Region: Southwest
Topic: Plant Identification
Title: Identity of plant friend bought at plant sale
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

Can you Please Identify this plant? A friend had bought it at a plant sale and she thinks it was called a money tree. I am curios as to what it really is because it has jagged edges on the leaves and after looking up Money Trees, their leaves don't look the same?

ANSWER:

The only plant I could find called Money Tree is Pachira aquatica, a native of Central and South America and it doesn't have leaves with jagged edges.  Our focus and expertise here at the Wildflower Center are with plants native to North America and I suspect, like the Money Tree, the plant your friend bought at the sale is NOT native to North America—thus, we are not the right organization to ask to identify it.  If you have photos or can take photos of it, please visit our Plant Identification page where you will find links to several plant identification forums that will accept photos of plants for identification.

 

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