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.

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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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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!

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Tuesday - December 20, 2011

From: St. Petersburg, FL
Region: Southeast
Topic: Plant Identification
Title: Plant identification
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

I am new to Florida and can't find the identification of one of my plants anywhere. It's an unattractive plant that is stick-like, very rubbery - it reminds me of a stick-bug. I have a small one in a pot and a very large one planted in the ground. The branches/stick-like arms are a bit unruly - growing every-which-way. I DO have a photo, but don't see a place to upload it.

ANSWER:

Does your plant have leaves? Did it bloom? If so, what color were the blossoms? With the description you have given me, I can't come up with a native plant that fits. It is quite possible it is non-native since Florida is host to many tropical and semi-tropical plants that aren't native to North America. Since our focus and expertise here at the Wildflower Center are with plants native to North America, we aren't really the ones to identify it and we don't routinely accept photos for identification. However, if you will visit our Plant Identification page you will find links to several plant identification forums that do accept photos for identification.

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Tuesday - December 20, 2011

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