Host an Event Volunteer Join Tickets

Support the plant database you love!

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.

Help us grow by giving to the Plant Database Fund or by becoming a member

Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?

Share

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.

Search Smarty Plants
See a list of all Smarty Plants questions

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.

 
rate this answer
Not Yet Rated

Sunday - March 21, 2010

From: Magnolia, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Plant Identification
Title: Is Texas Mountain Laurel what I planted in Magnolia TX?
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

I think I planted Texas Mt. Laurels and need to see a pic of early plants. Can you help?

ANSWER:

You think you planted Mountain Laurel? Were they big red seeds? According to this USDA Plant Profile, they are native to West Texas, but that wouldn't have prevented you from planting seeds in East Texas, in Magnolia. This plant is usually slow and difficult to germinate and grows very slowly. From our Native Plant Database, here is a description of the plant, without the flowers which would not yet appear if these are newly-emerged plants:

"Dense, dark green, glossy foliage is evergreen and has shiny, leathery, compound leaves, made up of 7–9 leaflets that are rounded on the ends. Leaflets up to 2 inches or more long, tapering more gradually to the base than to the tip, and arranged along an axis terminated by a single leaflet ."

We found no pictures of very small plants in our Native Plant Image Gallery, but you can look at this Texas AgriLIFE Research Extension at Uvalde website, pictures of leaves, branch, seeds of Sophora secundiflora (Texas mountain-laurel). Here are more pictures from Google Images.

If this doesn't help, go to our instructions for sending us a photograph, submit a photo, and we will see if we can figure it out. 

 

More Plant Identification Questions

Smarty Plants on Resurrection Plant
June 03, 2005 - Hello, I have a plant that my grandmother gave to me. When she gave me the plant it was a dried bundle; but, as soon as she put in water, the plant opened up and came to life again. Then, we let it...
view the full question and answer

Plant identification
February 14, 2013 - Please help identify a flower I saw growing in the woods in central Arkansas last week.It had a light yellow flower growing out of a very flat basal rosette made up of grey-green spade-shaped leaves. ...
view the full question and answer

Yellow-blossomed Shrub that Occurs in Arizona and Texas
May 08, 2012 - What is the name of the large shrubs you will see in Arizona with the bright yellow blossoms. They grow wild everywhere, and I also see them in the town. Could you please tell me the name of them, s...
view the full question and answer

Identification of a vine in Tennessee
November 08, 2013 - I am trying to identify a vine growing on the ground under what looks to be a holly bush. I have pictures of it if there is an email I can send them to? Thank You!!!!
view the full question and answer

Plant identfication
July 27, 2009 - My wife and I have our first summer garden at our new home in the Panhandle of Texas. Included within our crop are several alien large, broad stalk, broad leaved plants with an extremely pungent, offe...
view the full question and answer

Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today.