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 - October 14, 2010
From: Nashville, TN
Region: Southeast
Topic: Plant Identification
Title: Identification of thorny tree with lemon-like fruit
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
What would be a small lemon like fruit that grows on a bush with large thorns? The fruit is about the size of a golf ball, kind of fuzzy yellow skin like a lemon and smells like a cross between an orange and a lemon. The flesh is like that of a lemon.ANSWER:
This sounds like Poncirus trifoliata (hardy orange or trifoliate orange), an introduced species from China. It is listed on the Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health Invasive.org website and by TexasInvasives.org. If this isn't the plant you have seen, please take photos and send them to us and we will do our best to identify it. Visit Mr. Smarty Plants' Plant Identification page to read the instructions for submitting photos.
More Plant Identification Questions
Plant identification
May 13, 2009 - Every spring I have pink evening primroses blooming near the curb where the soil is very poor - lots of clay, very dry. Along with the pink evening primroses, there is a vine that can spread about th...
view the full question and answer
Fringe tree appropriate for Libertyville IL
July 05, 2009 - I live in Libertyville Illinois and admired a fringe tree on the Biltmore Estate.
Are the weather & soil conditions conducive to having a fringe tree in this area?
view the full question and answer
Identification of landscape plants at malls in Waco and Temple
August 20, 2009 - Dear Mr. Smarty,
I am trying to identify a plant used in landscaping for several shopping centers within the Waco-Temple areas. It looks to be large mounding grass, but flowers June-July with shaft...
view the full question and answer
ID for Dill-like weed
February 12, 2009 - I live in Richmond,VA.and have a man made dam for a pond fed by several springs. There's a scruffy weed that looks like dill weed when it emerges in the spring but is so tough that I can't pull it u...
view the full question and answer
Plant with dark black/purple berries in a cluster
November 06, 2012 - Today at our local dog park we noticed a bush/vine that's been growing up the fence is producing berries. It didn't flower at all. The berries look to have started out green and now are changing t...
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |