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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Thursday - April 06, 2006
From: Mescalero, NM
Region: Southwest
Topic: Wildflower Center
Title: Ball moss (Tallandsia recurvata), epiphyte on oaks at Wildflower Center
Answered by: Damon Waitt
QUESTION:
I visited your center a couple weeks ago, was very impressed with the educational aspects. I noticed the epiphyte commonly growing in the oak trees, and also on the elm oak. Do you have the name of this plant?ANSWER:
Yes, the epiphyte is not truly a moss even though it is called Ball Moss (Tillandsia recurvata). It is a close cousin to Spanish Moss (Tillandsia usneoides). You can find out more about this member of the pineapple family by clicking here.More Wildflower Center Questions
Wheelchair access to the Wildflower Center from Converse TX
March 09, 2013 - Hi. I hope you can help. I've written two emails to the Contact Dept but to no avail in receiving a response. I wanted to know if wheelchairs can access the flower fields and the trails? I get the fe...
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What are those bushes with purple flowers around the Wildflower Center?
March 09, 2009 - Hello!
We were just at the Wildflower Center earlier this week (March 1 or so, 2009), and there were several large bushes with purple flowers on them. The very helpful docent told me what they wer...
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Maintenance policy for Ask Mr. Smarty Plants
February 04, 2008 - Greetings,
I am a volunteer at the University of Washington’s Elisabeth C. Miller Horticultural library. I am currently developing a maintenance policy for our database of gardening questions and ...
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Purchase of herbs from Wildflower Center
October 18, 2008 - Can I purchase herbs from the Wildflower Center?
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How to search the Wildflower Center website
March 28, 2007 - How the heck do I find a list of local native low-growing plants that are shade tolerant on this web site? The search functions don't seem to be specific enough. I searched specifying Texas, subshr...
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