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 - May 06, 2010
From: Toutle , WA
Region: Northwest
Topic: Plant Identification
Title: Can you identify a funny looking bulb that I bought at the grocery store? Probably not..
Answered by: Jimmy Mills
QUESTION:
I looked through your data base and did not find what I was looking for. I bought this funny looking bulb at a grocery store. It looked like a giant shriveled spider when i bought them. Due to lack of care because of personal problems, they did not do well but one did come back this spring. It has 12-15 spear shaped leaves in a circle at the top of a stalk. The bud to the flower is about an inch long and has layers of green scales all the way to the top. I got rid of my personal problem and my house plants are flourishing and now am starting on my yard. Thanks for any help in identifying this strange but pretty plant.ANSWER:
Mr. Smarty Plants has found that it is difficult, if not impossible, to identify a plant from a written description regardless of how good the description is. I am going to offer two suggestions: one is to return to the store where you bought the bulb and see if they know what it is. The second is to go to our Plant Identification page and follow the instructions for sending us a photo of the plant. A picture is worth a thousand words.More Plant Identification Questions
Plant identification
November 30, 2010 - I have had a plant for 37 years! It is a vine with leaves that grow in groups of three and they typically have 5 points. The leaves are dark green and shiny. I would love to know what this old friend ...
view the full question and answer
Plant identification in Parker County, Texas
June 14, 2011 - Hi. Growing alongside a country road, here in Parker County I photographed what I thought might be cardinal flowers. However, in searching books and on the net, I cannot find any quite like these. ...
view the full question and answer
Identification of oak trees in Pennsylvania
October 14, 2013 - I am an avid hunter in PA. I found these nuts and was wondering what kind they are. There is a red oak beside this tree, and I know what a white oak is but this tree and it's nuts look to be from a...
view the full question and answer
Plant identification
November 25, 2008 - I live north of Chicago. I have been Gardening just about everything forever. I finally got a surprise gift from a migrating bird, squirrel or possibly my kitchen composting. Apparently from a seed gr...
view the full question and answer
Identity of ball-shaped purple flower in Connecticut
July 13, 2015 - I am trying to identify a ball shaped purple/light purple flower with opposite leaves that look fern like. It has been in bloom since late May or early June. I have found it growing with what appear...
view the full question and answer
| Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |