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.
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.

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Tuesday - July 07, 2009
From: Clearfield , PA
Region: Mid-Atlantic
Topic: Plant Identification
Title: Mystery perennial in Clearfield, PA
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
I have a perennial growing in my flower garden. I didn't plant extra seeds and don't know what it is..it has palm like leaves and long thin stem. It grows tall, maybe about 10 inches from the ground and I would like to know what it is..?ANSWER:
Unfortunately, that description would cover many, many different plants, native and non-native to Pennsylvania. It could even be a weed planted for you by your friendly neighborhood birds, who are very good about spreading seeds around. If it's really important to you, we suggest you go to the instructions for submitting a photo on the Mr. Smarty Plants Plant Identification page. Note the kind of additional information needed with the picture(s), and we will try to identify it for you.More Plant Identification Questions
Mystery dill-type weed
September 01, 2008 - My daughter has a weed growing in her flower bed that look very simular to dill weed, but thicker. If you pinch it, it has a sticky milky substance come out. Can you tell me what this plant may be?
...
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Identity of tree with pumpkin-like fruit in Florida
October 02, 2012 - Hello. I live in a small town called Molino FL. I was walking on the side of our road and found a tree with pumpkin type fruit on the limbs. I have been trying to figure this tree out for about 3 mont...
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Identification of a mint-like plant in California
July 21, 2013 - I found a plant growing near my apricot (in Fresno, California). It has a square stem which becomes more rounded toward the base. The leaves are smooth, opposite, and they have three to five leaflets ...
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Distinguish between Huisache and Goldenball Leadtree
March 23, 2008 - How do you distinguish between Huisache (Acacia farnesiana) and Goldenball Leadtree (Leucaena retusa)? Thanks!
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Identifying native sedges
October 14, 2013 - What's the best way to identify a specific sedge ?
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