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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Wednesday - June 03, 2009

From: San Antonio, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Plant Identification
Title: Plant Identification
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

We have a new vine growing on our fence. It eventually gets red balls (about 1" in dia) that are filled with small white seeds. Before the balls turn red, they are covered with a fine, thin fern (feathery) looking thing that is green. The vine grows pretty fast and likes to climb. We live in NW Bexar County in the San Antonio city limits. What is this plant????

ANSWER:

Mr. Smarty Plants is pretty certain that your vine is Passiflora foetida var. gossypiifolia (Coronoa de Cristo).

Here are some photos: