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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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.

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Saturday - October 10, 2009

From: Chappell Hill, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Plant Identification
Title: Plant identification
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

I am trying to name a pink fall blooming wildflower. It is growing in a ditch and has several blooms on a stalk about 4' tall.

ANSWER:

Here are some possibilities for plants with pink flowers growing four feet tall in Washington County.

Physostegia virginiana (obedient plant)

Asclepias incarnata (swamp milkweed)

Gaura mollis (velvetweed)

Liatris elegans (pinkscale blazing star)

Liatris mucronata (cusp blazing star)

Liatris pycnostachya (prairie blazing star)

Pluchea camphorata (camphor pluchea)

Vernonia baldwinii (Baldwin's ironweed)

If none of these look like your plant, please send us photos and we will do our best to identify your plant. Please viisit Mr. Smarty Plants' Plant Identfication page for instructions for submitting photos.