Host an Event Volunteer Join Tickets

Your gift keeps resources like this database thriving!

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.

Help us grow by giving to the Plant Database Fund or by becoming a member

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.

Search Smarty Plants
See a list of all Smarty Plants questions

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.

 
rate this answer
Not Yet Rated

Thursday - August 28, 2008

From: Smithville, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Plant Identification
Title: Instructions for Plant ID
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

Hi- I have an unidentified small white flowering plant photo to try to identify. Would you be willing to see what you think it is or refer me to someone to whom I could send it? It was photographed on FM 3009 north of San Antonio. Thank you for any information you can provide.

ANSWER:

Nothing could be easier. Go to our Mr. Smarty Plants Plant Identification page, where you will receive complete instructions for sending us your picture(s). We can't guarantee we will be able to identify the plant, but we have some pretty good identifiers. We are looking forward to seeing your pictures.
 

More Plant Identification Questions

Dodder, rootless, leafless, parisitic twining plants
May 29, 2006 - Hello, I have been studying wildflowers in California for many years. Yesterday I came across a surprise and I am thus far unable to identify it. As it is raining today, I cannot get a photo, but I...
view the full question and answer

Plant identification
March 09, 2009 - green stemmed,whorled leaf,compound leaf, ovate shaped, hairy stemmed thing is fastly taking over my sandy rocked based soil cactus garden. what could it be? i bought my garden in florida
view the full question and answer

Plant ID from North Carolina
August 16, 2010 - Hi Mr. Smartyplants, I know that you can identify blue cohash in a neat way: 3 stems which easy branch to 3 more stems which each branch into 3 more and then 3 leaves attached to each. Well, do you...
view the full question and answer

Identification of a low raspberry-like plant in New Brunswick
July 09, 2011 - I am searching for a plant I found last year while walking in the woods in early summer. It was a low plant, much like a raspberry, but not on thorny growth and close to the ground. Seems to be on new...
view the full question and answer

Plant ID from Cocoa FL
April 18, 2014 - I am trying to identify a plant that looks like a rose bush. It has rose-like thorns. The leaves are green, slender, acute at the tip, slightly unequal at the base and the leaf stem grows closer to ...
view the full question and answer

Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today.