Host an Event Volunteer Join Tickets

Your gift keeps resources like this database thriving!

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?

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

Saturday - August 28, 2010

From: Delta, PA
Region: Mid-Atlantic
Topic: Plant Identification
Title: Plant identification
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

I have a very distinctive vine accompanying morning glory in invading my beds - it is Prickly! (on the vine, underside of leaves, leaf stems). The leaf is not arrowhead, but a triangle; I've not seen flowers so far. I cannot find a picture of it anywhere, altho' I think it might be in the bindweed family. Thanks!

ANSWER:

Please send us photos and we will do our very best to identify your vine.  Below are the instructions for submitting photos, or you can read them on Mr. Smarty Plants' Plant Identification page.

1.  Tell us where and when you found the plant and describe the site where it occurred.
2.  If possible, take several high-resolution images including details of leaves, stems, flowers, fruit, and the overall plant.
3.  Save images in JPEG format. Do not reduce the resolution of your images. High-resolution images are much easier for us to work with.
4.  Send email with images attached to [email protected]. Please enter Plant ID Request on the subject line of your email.

Please be sure that your photos are in good focus.

 

More Plant Identification Questions

Plant identification of chenille-like plant in Florida
July 27, 2011 - I live in Central Florida. I have a small, 8-10 inch plant that grows wild in the yard and has a 1 to 1-1/2 inch, bright red, feathery flower on it. I can't seem to find it on the internet and I'm ...
view the full question and answer

Plant identification for Louisiana
September 12, 2009 - Trying to identify a "fruit bearing" plant around Natchitoches, Louisiana. Grows about waist high to average man, slightly elongated green leaf, bearing small green "fruit" or "berry", with pape...
view the full question and answer

Mystery Iris-like plant in Tennessee
September 02, 2008 - What is this flower? It came up and bloomed for about five days then died. It was a beautiful white trumpet shaped flower. It had one stem with four flowers. It came up like an Iris but we nver plante...
view the full question and answer

Identification of daisy-like yellow flower
March 12, 2012 - Georgetown, TX - I have two flowers blooming in my field that I can't identify. One is strong gold and the other strong orange. I cannot identify the leaf pad. There are no leaves on the stem which...
view the full question and answer

Plant identification
August 04, 2012 - We found a bush on our ranch in southern Gonzales County. It has oval shaped leaves about an inch long. There are no thorns on the branches. Fruit is round and smooth, the size of a small cherry to...
view the full question and answer

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