Host an Event Volunteer Join Tickets

Support the plant database you love!

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
1 rating

Saturday - September 24, 2011

From: Granbury, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Plant Identification, Propagation, Herbs/Forbs
Title: Plant called beargrass from Granbury, TX
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

I am not a native Texan. We have a clump of what my husband (from Big Spring) calls "Bear Grass." It is over to the side of our yard and we have always enjoyed it (moved here in 1982). It blooms in the spring with white stalks 3 or 4 feet high. Usually gallardias come up in it and bloom at the same time. Gorgeous! We moved away for a while, and have come back two years ago. I started a wildflower garden with flowers I dug up from our small pasture about 3 feet to the side of the bear grass. Now suddenly it is sending shoots off every direction. As I was digging up the native grass on the edge of my bed, I kept running into big thick woody runners with baby bear grasses on them. All these years it stayed pretty much the same. Why is is suddenly getting such itchy feet? I did notice since we came back that there are open spaces developing in the clump. Used to be that each old plant that bloomed would send up several new plants at its base. (The first year we were back there were 36 bloom stalks! This year only about 10.) We dug down some and it's hard clay and a long way down to the runners. What can we do? (And do you know what the true name of it is?

ANSWER:

This is a redo of two previous answers to this question. Someone better at plant identification than this member of the Mr. Smarty Plants team has suggested that it is more likely that the plant in question is Nolina texana (Texas sacahuista). One of its common names is "Texas beargrass." It is neither a grass nor a succulent but a member of the lily family. This USDA Plant Profile map shows that it is, indeed, native to the area in question.In fact, it is grown on the grounds of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

However, our original answer to the question is still the same. It is spreading out because, while it can survive drought and heat, it still loves more moisture and cultivated soil. It is a lovely plant and we certainly would not recommend trying to remove it, but just control. The open spaces in the first plant probably indicate the aging of the plant, so it is naturally trying to propagate, as the primary goal for every living thing is to make more of itself.

We certainly don't recommend herbicides; they can have a negative effect on your soils and on the wildflowers you are trying to grow. Sorry it took us so long to correctly identify the plant in question.

 

 

From the Image Gallery


Texas sacahuista
Nolina texana

Texas sacahuista
Nolina texana

Texas sacahuista
Nolina texana

More Herbs/Forbs Questions

Need suggestions for native grasses to stabilize hillside Kerrville, TX.
August 18, 2012 - We have a steep slope at the back of our property in "caleche" territory in Kerrville. It is about 80 feet wide by 40 feet and ends at a wash. It is outside of our fenced yard and we are in city lim...
view the full question and answer

Penta and licorice plants for Austin
May 04, 2009 - For Austin location Are you familiar with a small flowering plant called Penta? How about Licorice? If yes, could you provide growing conditions. Thanks
view the full question and answer

Hardy, inexpensive perennials for Mansfield, TX
March 12, 2008 - I am trying to fill two flowerbeds that are in full sun mostly and right next to the house. I want something that can live in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area and is pretty hardy. I also don't want to spe...
view the full question and answer

Native plants to preserve soil on river bank
May 28, 2006 - I live in eastern Massachusetts. We have a small stream in our backyard and a woodland area on the other side. Japanese Knotweed is pretty well established on the opposite bank of the stream from our ...
view the full question and answer

Steep slope from Charlotte NC
May 03, 2012 - I live near Charlotte, NC and I have a very steep sloped area from the edge of our front yard down to the road. It's a huge eyesore mainly because it is red clay dirt and has nothing growing on it. W...
view the full question and answer

Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today.