Native Plants

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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.
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Sunday - July 13, 2008
From: Portland, TN
Region: Southeast
Topic: Plant Identification
Title: Mystery plant in hay fields in Tennessee
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
I found plants growing in my hay fields that are about 4 feet tall, large leaves and blooms (ball shaped) bell flowers.That is, the blooms looks like a pom pom with about 50 to 80 small flowers "hanging" from small stems on each ball . The flowers are perfectly shaped lavender color with small round middles. Very fragrant. Can email a pic if needed. Very interested in knowing if this is some type of weed or old plant. I live on a plantation farm from the 1800s, so I never know what might pop up once the ground is tilled or moved some.ANSWER:
That sounds like a really interesting plant. About the best way we can hope to identify a plant is to have a picture. Go to the Mr. Smarty Plants page, and on the lower right end area under "Plant Identification" you will find instructions for sending us a digital picture. We will then do our best to figure out what it is.
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