Native Plants
![](../_images/smarty_plants.gif)
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 is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
![](../_images/mr_smarty_plants_logo_web_200w.jpg)
rate this answer
![](../_images/star_10.gif)
Sunday - January 08, 2012
From: West palm beach, FL
Region: Southeast
Topic: Plant Identification
Title: Plant identification
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
When we moved in to this house, we planted many plants in the front landscaping. After they grew, it became too crowded. We had to move some plants to the backyard. The problem is, we have a plant that we aren't sure where it came from. We may have planted it or it may have grown in. It grew to about 10 feet tall in a year. It has several thin woody stems. They grow in different directions, so the plant is pretty big. The leaves are green on top and purple on bottom. There are small, purple clusters of what seem to be seeds coming from the stems, usually above leaves. I would be okay with the plant, but it is spreading throughout the yard. If you could identify it or at least tell me if it is native or not, I would be very grateful.ANSWER:
There is one herbaceous plant that your description brings to mind, Phytolacca americana (American pokeweed). Although its stems aren't truly woody, they can be substantial and it does grow rapidly and has purple berries. Here is another photo showing reddish/purplish leaves and you can see more photos here. It would be nice to know what the shape of the leaves are on your plant and I don't understand whether the leaves near the bottom are purple while the leaves near the top are green or whether the bottom side of each leaf is purple and the top side of the leaf is green.
Since the pokeweed didn't exactly match your description, I did a COMBINATION SEARCH in our Native Plant Database choosing "Florida" under Select State or Province and "Shrub" under Habit (general appearance) to find shrubs native to Florida. I looked through the 160 results and didn't really see anything that matched your description. You should try the same search and look at them yourself. You can also do a similar search using "Tree" for the search term under Habit (general appearance).
There is a very good chance that your plant is not native. Florida's climate is very conducive to growing tropical non-natives. Your best bet for identification would be to take photos and then visit our Plant Identification page to find links to several plant forums that accept photos for identification.
From the Image Gallery
More Plant Identification Questions
Identification of bluebonnet-like flower
May 14, 2012 - I have discovered a plant that looks like a bluebonnet but is much larger. It has leggy stems and similar leaf structure and the bonnet in more compact with purple vs blue flowers. The plant is growin...
view the full question and answer
Plant identification
July 28, 2012 - I have a plant that looks like a suculent tree with a canopy like an umbrella. It grows every summer & is no more than 5 ft tall. It has tiny spines on it's trunk, which has white spots on it. the en...
view the full question and answer
Plant identification
June 12, 2014 - We live in Magnolia TX and have a shrub we can't identify.
It's evergreen and
has waxy leaves with a serrated edge that are about an inch in length.
They have pink flowers and
they grow to ab...
view the full question and answer
Identity of plant in South Carolina with tiny purple flowers
August 02, 2013 - I found a plant while walking my dogs. I live in South Carolina. The plant gets maybe a foot tall, has a square stem and the top of plant is a candelabra with timy purple flowers in it. What is this...
view the full question and answer
Identification of alien-looking plant
June 06, 2013 - I have a plant that grows 4-5 feet tall, it has pretty "alien looking" flowers with "pods" under flower, and marijuana looking leaves and smell. My neighbor gave me a start last year, and it has ...
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |