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
Wednesday - September 05, 2012
From: Sarahsville, OH
Region: Mid-Atlantic
Topic: Plant Identification
Title: Identity of tall plant with blooms similar to squash in Ohio
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
Trying to identify a mystery plant. Have found nothing similar on the internet. Can I send a picture and if so, how? The plant is over 5 feet tall with many branches and has blooms similar to squash but smaller. The plant is in Sarahsville, OH.ANSWER:
Assuming you mean that the flowers are yellow and the same general shape as squash flowers and was found in the "wild" rather than in someone's yard or garden, two plants come to mind—one is the native, Gossypium hirsutum (Upland cotton). Here are more photos and information about wild cotton and here are several photos from CalPhotos. The USDA Plants Database distribution map doesn't show upland cotton occurring in Ohio, but the map does show it in Pennsylvania and Indiana. The other plant is the non-native, cultivated Abelmoschus esculentus (okra). Again, the USDA Plants Database distribution map doesn't show it occurring in Ohio, but it is shown in Michigan, Indiana and Kentucky.
If you saw the plant in a garden or lawn, it is probably a non-native cultivar. There are several varieties of yellow hibiscus plants that would fit your description. You can find them on the internet by googling "yellow hibiscus."
If none of the plants mentioned above is your plant, you can visit our Plant Identification page to find links to several plant identification forums that will accept photos of plants for identification. Unfortunately, we no longer accept photos for identification because we were inundated with requests and don't have enough staff or volunteers to handle them all.
From the Image Gallery
More Plant Identification Questions
Plant identification, possibly Phytolacca americana (American pokeweed)
September 07, 2010 - What wild growing plant has dark purple berries with a pinkish stem? The purple berries grow on their own stem and not in among the leaves, the leaves are green.
view the full question and answer
ID for Dill-like weed
February 12, 2009 - I live in Richmond,VA.and have a man made dam for a pond fed by several springs. There's a scruffy weed that looks like dill weed when it emerges in the spring but is so tough that I can't pull it u...
view the full question and answer
Plant identification of shrub with thorns and purple flowers
July 05, 2011 - I have a small tree or shrub, it has very small or thin thorns on the branches. It blooms in April / May. The flowers are purple. My mother-in-law said that it has been around for over 100 years, b...
view the full question and answer
Mystery plant in private garden in Hutchinson MN
July 16, 2009 - I recently toured an amazing private garden. While touring the owner called her potted plant with purple clustered flowers something that sounds like 'pinsta'. Do you have any idea what it might ha...
view the full question and answer
Plant identification
June 11, 2011 - This plant will grow 12-15 feet or more in height in the rural areas of Ellis County south of Dallas. In a fractal manner, stems grow out of the stalk and then from the stems. The leaves are green, th...
view the full question and answer
| Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |