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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Tuesday - September 02, 2008

From: Hampton, TN
Region: Southeast
Topic: Plant Identification
Title: Plant Identification in Tennessee
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

I live in upper East Tennessee and all my life I have seen a flowering bush we call a Bubbie (or Bubby). It grows to an average approximate height of 6 feet and blooms in the early summer. The blooms are dark maroon, coarse and smell like apples or strawberries. My grandson is submitting seed from one of these bushes for a science project and we have as yet not found a proper name for the bush. Could you please help?

ANSWER:

Your plant sounds very interesting, but we can't identify it from your description alone. Below, we will give you instructions for submitting some photographs, and we will do our best to identify it.

Need help with a plant ID? Send us an email following the instructions below.

1. Tell us where and when you found the plant and describe the site where it occurred.

2. Take several high resolution images including details of leaves, stems, flowers, fruit, and the overall plant.

3. Save images in JPEG format.