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.
rate this answer
Thursday - December 10, 2009
From: Summerdale, AL
Region: Southeast
Topic: Non-Natives, Plant Identification
Title: Bulb identification
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
My pinecone ginger (Zingiber zerumbet), my white ginger (Hedychium coronarium) and my cana lilly roots were all accidently put in the same box and now I can't tell which is which. Is there some sort of "guide to roots"?ANSWER:
The expertise and focus of the Wildflower Center are with plants native to North America. Of the three plants you name, Zingiber zerumbet (pinecone ginger) is native to southeast Asia and Hedychium coronarium (white ginger) is native to India. There are two cannas that are native to North America, Canna flaccida (bandanna of the Everglades) and Canna glauca (maraca amarilla); but I would guess you probably have Canna indica (Indian shot), native to tropical Central and South America or Canna x generalis (canna lily), a hybrid of C. indica and C. flaccida. Generally, we aren't able to help much with non-native plant questions, but perhaps we can offer some sources that can help you. You might try the International Bulb Society's Bulb Identification Clinic. You can take photos of your different bulbs and submit your photos and ask the experts there to identify which is which—or you can see photos of the bulbs of the pinecone ginger and white ginger at Buried Treasures. Click on "more details" by the plant's photo to find the photo of the bulb. If you figure out those two, then by process of elimination the other bulbs should be your canna bulbs. You can also Google "canna bulbs" and select "Images" and you will find that several photos appear.
More Non-Natives Questions
Proximity of orange trees in Phoenix AZ
June 14, 2009 - Do I need to plant my orange tree away from my neighbors orange tree?
view the full question and answer
Mercer Society of Harris County Plant Sale from The Woodlands, TX
March 15, 2011 - Love the Name! Anyway, the Mercer Society of Harris County will be having its annual plant sale late this month and as usual I will be attending. I'm trying to find some tropicals and sub-tropicals...
view the full question and answer
Problem with non-native gerbera daisies
June 09, 2009 - My gerber daiseys leaf but they don't want to bloom. They come back. What am I doing wrong?
view the full question and answer
Penta and licorice plants for Austin
May 04, 2009 - For Austin location
Are you familiar with a small flowering plant called Penta?
How about Licorice?
If yes, could you provide growing conditions.
Thanks
view the full question and answer
Non-native dwarf palm leaves yellowing in Katy TX
March 30, 2013 - 1 month ago we planted dwarf palms, the leaves are turning yellow, does this mean we are over watering them? If so how much water do they require? Is there anything we can give them? We also have a fa...
view the full question and answer
| Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |