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.

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Friday - March 26, 2004
From: Washington, DC
Region: Mid-Atlantic
Topic: Invasive Plants
Title: Smarty Plants on Invasive Plants
Answered by: Jil M. Swearingen, National Park Service
QUESTION:
How bad are invasive species?ANSWER:
Invasive species impact native plants, animals, and natural ecosystems by, reducing biodiversity, altering hydrologic conditions & soil characteristics, interfering with natural succession, competing for pollinators, displacing rare plant species, serving as reservoirs of plant pathogens, replacing complex communities with single species monocultures, & diluting the genetic composition of native species through hybridization. Browse the links of our Plant Conservation & Landscape Restoration programs on-line to discover more of what you can do to nurture native plant species in your eco-region.More Invasive Plants Questions
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March 09, 2015 - San Antonio Water System does not want to assist invasive plants but we want to encourage Lantana sp but we need to know what Lantana camara hybrids are sterile
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Removing three-seeded mercury in Austin
November 09, 2009 - How can I get rid of Three Seeded Mercury (Acalypha phleoides)? Even if I try to dig it up, the roots go down forever and it ends up just breaking at 6-8" down. Just breaking it off at the surface,...
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