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!

Need help with plant identification, visit the plant identification page.

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Sunday - April 22, 2012

From: Austin, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Plant Identification
Title: Identification of willow-like tree
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

Hi. My daughter is trying to identify a native tree that is like a "scrub" tree here in pastures in Austin, Texas (for a school project). It sort of looks like weeping willow, but most aren't very tall. Is there a way I can email a picture to you for you to see it? Thanks for your help.

ANSWER:

Mr. Smarty Plants would love to be able to accept photographs for identification. Unfortunately, we don't have enough staff or volunteers to do this anymore. We were overwhelmed with photos and requests for identification.

I think, however, the tree/shrub you are describing sounds like Baccharis neglecta (False willow). It is very common in the Austin area.

If this doesn't appear to be it, please visit our Plant Identification page for links to several plant identification forums that will accept photos for identification.

From the Image Gallery

False willow
Baccharis neglecta