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.

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

Thursday - September 01, 2011

From: Artesia, NM
Region: Southwest
Topic: Plant Identification
Title: Plant identification
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

I have a single stalked plant that has leaves with 5 lobes. Each lobe is also lobed. The leaves are dark green, staggered on the stalk opposite each other. Do you have any ideas what this is?

ANSWER:

You haven't given me a lot to go on here. It would be nice to know the size of the leaves, the size of the plant and whether its stalk is woody or not. Does it have flowers? Did you buy it or did it just sprout up in your flowerbed or did you find it in the woods/in a ditch/in the park? That would help me figure out it what it might be. Nevertheless, I will give you a couple of possibilities that somewhat match your description. Neither of these is a plant native to North America—our specialty—and I haven't thought of any native plants that fit your description.

Abelmoschus esculentus (okra) and here are more photos and information.
Carica papaya (papaya) and here is another photo.