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.

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Friday - May 30, 2008

From: Glendale, AZ
Region: Southwest
Topic: Non-Natives
Title: Non-native Filaree seeds for science classroom
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

Can I purchase Filaree seeds for my science classroom? If so, where?

ANSWER:

We're wondering what's the reason for the popularity of this non-native plant, considered an invasive in many parts of North America. We recently answered another question on this subject, and invite you to read our answer to save our repeating ourselves.

The plant in question is Erodium cicutarium. A member of the same genus, Erodium texanum (Texas stork's bill), also sometimes referred to as filaree, is a native and is shown as growing naturally in Arizona. Go to our section on Suppliers, enter Glendale, Arizona in the "Enter Search Location" box and you will get a list of nurseries and seed suppliers in your general area. Many have websites and/or mail order for seeds. Since wildflower seeds normally are planted in Nature in the Fall, seeds may not be available right now. We can also recommend Native American Seed in Junction, TX. They have an online catalog, and specialize in seeds for Texas. Since the Erodium texanum (Texas stork's bill) is also a native of Texas, that nursery should have them if anyone does.