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.
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.
rate this answer
Friday - June 15, 2012
From: King, NC
Region: Southeast
Topic: General Botany, Poisonous Plants
Title: What is white sticky substance in the Mandevilla vine?
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
When I was watering my Mandevilla one of the vines broke and there was a white, sticky substance that came out of the vine. I was just curious as to what that is.ANSWER:
The white sticky substance is the sap of the Mandevilla. Mandevilla species, native to South America, are members of the Family Apocynaceae. The majority of the members of the family have this thick milky sap sometimes called latex. Mandevilla spp. are not known to be poisonous but are related to species that are according to the Poisonous Plants of North Carolina database. The Tortoise Table says that the sap of Mandevilla causes skin irritation in some people and, thus, should be avoided. This website also suggests that since another member of the family, Oleander (Nerium oleander), is extremely toxic, it would be better to err on the side of caution and not feed the plant to your tortoise (if you have one) or eat it yourself!
More General Botany Questions
Problem With Vegetable Garden Soil
June 09, 2013 - We live in Liberty Hill on 25 acres and we are working to restore native grasses and plants. We are ardent supporters of the Wildflower center. I say this because my question is not "typical" of wh...
view the full question and answer
Restoring the woods in Central Austin.
May 08, 2012 - I live in Austin, south central between Red Bud trail close to the low water bridge and Bee Caves road. My question: I want to make the wooded sections of my yard attractive. They have filtered sun...
view the full question and answer
Genetics of Anemone berlandieri flower colors
December 01, 2010 - Anemone heterophylla or Anemone berlandieri, Genetics.
Is the variation in the flower color due to Genetic Incomplete dominance or Codominance? The same codominance seen in carnations.
view the full question and answer
Source for DNA sequencing of Opuntia species
March 04, 2014 - Hi Mr. Smarty Plants,
I am trying to do a Opuntia speciation study, and rather just identifying the species by morphological comparison, I would also like to go a little deeper by comparing the DNA...
view the full question and answer
How to determine the gender of wax myrtles from the WFC?
February 08, 2010 - Mr.Smarty Plants, have the wax myrtles that are up for sale at the Center's Spring Plant sale been sexed? I need a male plant. How can the sex be determined when the plant is young? Or can it?
view the full question and answer
| Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |