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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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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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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!

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Sunday - August 09, 2009

From: Duluth, MN
Region: Midwest
Topic: Non-Natives
Title: Can berries of non-native Fuchsia plant be eaten from Duluth MN
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

Are the berries of the Fuschia plant edible?

ANSWER:

There are a number of plants with "fuchsia" (and yes, this is the correct spelling, it's named after a man named Fuchs) in their name, but two species seem to be most common: Fuchsia magellanica, hardy fuchsia, and Fuchsia paniculata. The first is native to South America and the second to Central Mexico and South America. At the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, our expertise is exclusively plants native not only to North America but to the area in which they are being grown. Most probably you are referring to Fuchsia paniculata, which is usually used as a house plant. We found a website from the San Francisco Botanical Gardens on Fuchsia paniculata which may help answer your question.
 

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