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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 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!

Need help with plant identification, visit the plant identification page.

 
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Sunday - December 06, 2009

From: Marshall, NC
Region: Southeast
Topic: Plant Identification
Title: Plant identfication
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

I found a shrub I like because of the black fruit that birds like to eat but I don't know what it is. It looks similar to a blackhaw but the edges of the leaves are smooth not jagged. The fruit is a black velvet soft oval berry. Is it a Viburnum Blackhaw or something else?

ANSWER:

Please send us photos of the plant with close ups of the leaves and their arrangement on the branch, a close up of of the fruit and its location on the shrub, and also a photo of the overall plant and we will do our very best to identify it.  Please visit Mr. Smarty Plants' Plant Identification page to read more about the instructions for submitting photos.
 

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