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 27, 2010
From: Lake Winnebago, MO
Region: Midwest
Topic: Propagation
Title: Pollination of blackberries in Lake Winnebago, MO
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
Not sure if blackberries are native, but my daughter got a start of one at a plant exchange at the nature center. Do we need more than one for it to pollinate correctly? We have strawberries growing in the backyard also, if that makes a difference. Thanks so much for your help.ANSWER:
There are 31 members of the genus Rubus, blackberry, native to North America and 5 native to Missouri. We don't have any way of knowing which of these you have, but since they are all the same genus, the information we can find should be correct for all of them. The blackberries native to Missouri are:
Rubus allegheniensis (Allegheny blackberry)
Rubus alumnus (oldfield blackberry)
Rubus allegheniensis var. allegheniensis (Allegheny blackberry)
Rubus argutus (sawtooth blackberry)
Rubus recurvans (recurved blackberry)
We assume you are asking us if there are male and female bushes, as there are in the holly family and some other berry-producing shrubs. The answer to that is no, members of the Rubus genus are monoecious, meaning they have both male and female flowers on each bush. You can follow the above links to the webpage on each species of blackberry for more information, and go to the Google link at the bottom of that webpage for articles and pictures from the Internet.
More Propagation Questions
Propagation of Liatris elegans in Lubbock TX
October 14, 2010 - I am going to harvest several Liatris Elegans.I want to grow as many as possible out of what I harvest. What will be the best method? I have plenty of land at my home for growing these plants.I will ...
view the full question and answer
Propagating magnolias from Springtown TX
July 07, 2011 - I am trying to find out how to plant Magnolia tree seeds and what has to be done with them prior to planting, if anything and what type of soil to use.
view the full question and answer
Loss of bloom stalk on Yucca filamentosa from Scotch Plains NJ
April 27, 2013 - We have 3 Yucca filamentosa L. planted together, in NJ. A friend of ours was helping to remove the weeds, little did she know and removed the blooming stalk from the plants. By the time I saw, it was ...
view the full question and answer
Bluebonnet rosettes in July from Austin
July 30, 2012 - Dear Mr S.P.:
Please solve my bluebonnet summer mystery!
I established about 1500 sq feet of bluebonnets starting four years ago by scavenging seeds here and there and just scattering in the sprin...
view the full question and answer
Propagation of Emory Oak acorns
May 08, 2005 - Dear Wildflower Experts,
By any chance do you know how we could obtain some Emory Oak acorns to plant on our farm on the Eastern Shore of Maryland? I know it’s not a given that the trees would grow...
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |