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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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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Please forgive us, but Mr. Smarty Plants has been overwhelmed by a flood of mail and must take a break for awhile to catch up. We hope to be accepting new questions again soon. Thank you!

Need help with plant identification, visit the plant identification page.

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Thursday - July 03, 2008

From: North Miami Beach, FL
Region: Southeast
Topic: Shrubs
Title: Identification of shrub in Florida
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

Hello Mr. Smarty Plants, I have a question about identifying some bushes. The bushes I have seen through areas of Florida and they seem to be used most often as natural fences. These are the characteristics of the bush: grows to about 4-5 feet high, yield a white flower which produce berries (berries are not round like a blueberry but most resembles the shape of a pumpkin if one compresses it somewhat) Can you help me identify?

ANSWER:

The best way for us to identify your plant is for you to send us photos. Visit the Ask Mr. Smarty Plants page to read the instructions (under "Plant Identification") for submitting photos. Please be sure to send photographs of the entire plant, a closeup of the leaves, a picture of how the leaves are arranged on a limb, a closeup of the berries, and a closeup of the flowers (if available).

I'm not sure whether the berries on your plant are red, blue, or some other color; but here are a few possibilities for you to look at with various berry colors:

Gaylussacia dumosa (dwarf huckleberry)

Ilex decidua (possumhaw)

Ilex glabra (inkberry)

Ilex myrtifolia (myrtle dahoon)

Ilex vomitoria (yaupon)

Photinia pyrifolia (red chokeberry)

Vaccinium myrsinites (shiny blueberry) and more photos and information