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.

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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!

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Tuesday - September 07, 2010

From: Stanton, MO
Region: Midwest
Topic: Plant Identification
Title: Plant identification, possibly Phytolacca americana (American pokeweed)
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

What wild growing plant has dark purple berries with a pinkish stem? The purple berries grow on their own stem and not in among the leaves, the leaves are green.

ANSWER:

The first thing that popped into Mr. Smarty Plants' mind was Phytolacca americana (American pokeweed). If that doesn't happen to be the plant you've seen, take photos, send them to us and we will do our best to identify it. Please visit Mr. Smarty Plants' Plant Identification page for instructions on submitting photos.

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