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

Thursday - June 24, 2010

From: Coventry, CT
Region: Northeast
Topic: Plant Identification, Shrubs
Title: Identification of shrubs with red berries in Connecticut
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

In my yard there are bushes about 4 1/2' tall with red berries. The berries are bright red and somewhat translucent with striations visible through the skin.I thought they were gooseberries perhaps, but while they appear in two's (sometimes 3's)they are are more squat (like a blueberry) than the photos I've seen and the leaves are different. Their leaves are dark green, have pointed ends with a generally oval body (kind-of the classic "leaf shape") They are slightly fuzzy to touch, as are the brown, woody stems which grow from a wood-like stalk. Any ideas on what this plant may be?

ANSWER:

Not really.  Sorry.  You can search our Native Plant Database by doing a COMBINATION SEARCH and selecting 'Connecticut' from the Select State or Province category and 'Shrub' from the Habit (general appearance) category.  If you don't find your shrub there, please send us photos and we will do our best to identify it.  Visit Mr. Smarty Plants' Plant Identification page for instructions on submitting photos.

 

More Shrubs Questions

Canadian Marine West Coast Plants
December 15, 2011 - What type of plants are found in the Canadian marine west coast climate?
view the full question and answer

Further question on sprouts from holly tree in Surprise AZ
November 16, 2010 - Thank you Barbara Medford for your response to my question about the sprouting holly tree in Surprise AZ. I took for granted that the tree I was talking about was a holly tree. I looked at pictures of...
view the full question and answer

Identification of eleagnus-like shrub
August 21, 2007 - There is a plant on our land I can't identify. It has a tree-like smooth light gray "trunk", with leaves similar to an eleagnus (grayish green and rough on top, lighter underneath). I can't find...
view the full question and answer

Selecting a tree for a backyard in San Antonio, TX
May 11, 2013 - Hello Mr. Smarty Plants, I recently moved into a home in West San Antonio right outside Loop 1604..my treeless backyard is fairly small at about 55 ft long and 15 ft wide. I am torn because I can't ...
view the full question and answer

Problems with blueberries from Kernersville NC
April 29, 2012 - My blueberry plants have no leaves or scrawny ones. I have 13 plants, 5 of them are like this.
view the full question and answer

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