Host an Event Volunteer Join Tickets

Support the plant database you love!

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.

Help us grow by giving to the Plant Database Fund or by becoming a member

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.

Search Smarty Plants
See a list of all Smarty Plants questions

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.

 
rate this answer
Not Yet Rated

Saturday - May 04, 2013

From: Clarksville, TN
Region: Southeast
Topic: Plant Identification, Shrubs
Title: Plant Identification from Clarksville TN
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

We live on a north facing wooded ridge line in Middle TN. I have a single large (6') bush that is blooming now (late April) with beautiful 6" long, end of stem clusters of small pink flowers in 3-5 bud clusters branching off of the stem. The flowers are delicate, four petal, 1/2 -3/4" long that extends out of a 1/2 " vase-shaped pod. The leaves are finely toothed, whorled, 5-leaf elongated, pointy tipped with perfectly parallel veins. I can send a picture if you give me a cell phone #. I have looked at several on-line ID keys and have come up dry. Please help. Thanks!

ANSWER:

Sadly, we are no longer able to accept pictures for plant identification. Please see our page on Plant Identification for some other resources that might be able to help you, including identification from pictures.

However, we did want to at least try, so we went to our Native Plant Database and, using the Combination Search, looked for shrubs native to Tennessee that bloomed in April and have pink blooms. We only found two that we thought came close. It is very possible that the plant is a non-native. The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is committed to the growth, propagation and protection of plants native to North America but also to the areas in which they have evolved; in your case, Montgomery County, Tennessee. If it is, indeed, a non-native, it would be out of our range of expertise.

Here are the two we found:

Rhododendron calendulaceum (Flame azalea)

Rhododendron periclymenoides (Pink azalea)

 

From the Image Gallery


Mountain azalea
Rhododendron canescens

Pink azalea
Rhododendron periclymenoides

More Plant Identification Questions

Identification of plant from Tennessee
June 06, 2011 - I was trying to find the identity of a plant my Grandmother grew around her house in West Tennessee. It was a nonflowering plant, about 12-24 in tall, had thornless leaves similar in shape to holly l...
view the full question and answer

Plant identification
March 15, 2012 - My daughter took the attached picture of a plant growing along a road in Austin, TX. I've searched the database and several wildflower books and can't find the flower. Can you identify it? Thanks fo...
view the full question and answer

Identification of pink flower near Austin
April 10, 2008 - My mother found a flower early this spring at Chrystal Falls park just outside of Austin. It was between red and salmon pink in color, tubular in shape and about 4 inches long. It smells very bad, a...
view the full question and answer

Looking for pink star grass (Rhodohypoxis milloides)
June 23, 2008 - I am looking for a wildflower/plant called Pink Star Grass (common name). I am not sure what the proper name is. Can you help me with this? I would like information on it, and also would like to pu...
view the full question and answer

Origin of name Bluedicks (Dichelostemma capitatum)
March 21, 2008 - Why are Blue Dicks called that? I do a weekly wildflower update on the radio and I don't know the answer!
view the full question and answer

Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today.