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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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Sunday - April 11, 2010

From: Austin, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Non-Natives
Title: Pronunciation of non-native mutabilis from Austin
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

How do you pronounce the rose name, "mutabilis"? Some friends say "mu TAB ilis" and others say "muta BIL is". Which is it? Thanks!

ANSWER:

The Mutabilis rose is native to ancient China, and therefore out of our range of expertise at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. We're not phonetics experts either, and since a quick search found no pronunciation guide for the word, we would say you can pronounce it any way you like.
 

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