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 is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
rate this answer
Saturday - June 01, 2013
From: Madison, KS
Region: Midwest
Topic: Plant Identification
Title: Identity of pink bell-shaped flowers in Kansas
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
I have a beautiful array of pink bell shaped flowers with a white shaping on the inside of them they are about 2 feet tall. I cant seem to figure out what they are.ANSWER:
You didn't say where they are growing. If they are in a flower bed, it is probable that they are a garden cultivar and they aren't something I could identify since our focus and expertise are with plants native to North America. However, there are a few native plants that sound similar to your description.
Agalinis heterophylla (Prairie false foxglove)
Agalinis tenuifolia (Slenderleaf false foxglove)
Agalinis fasciculata (Beach false foxglove)
Callirhoe involucrata (Winecup)
Mertensia virginica (Virginia bluebells)
Penstemon cobaea (Wild foxglove)
Penstemon grandiflorus (Large beardtongue)
I found these by doing a COMBINATION SEARCH in our Native Plant Database and choosing "Kansas" from Select State or Province, "Herb" from Habit (general appearance) and "Pink" under Bloom Color. You should try this search yourself to be sure I haven't overlooked a possibility.
If none of the flowers listed above is your flower, take photos of it and then visit our Plant Identification page. There you will find links to several plant identification forums that accept photos of plants for identification.
From the Image Gallery
More Plant Identification Questions
Identity of a plant in Florida with red fruit like a small tomato
September 03, 2012 - It looks like a small tomato but it isn't. It has a bunch of flakey seeds on the inside, which are a light brown in color. The outside is red, and I think it starts out growing green and also white....
view the full question and answer
Plant identification from photos
April 11, 2008 - I have 3 photos of the same plant, and no one knows what it is. Can I send you the photos, they are small jpegs, for identification? Thank you.
view the full question and answer
Plant Identification
April 04, 2009 - I found a purple berry-like plant in my back yard. It has no leaves, and it is about 5 or 6 inches tall. Do you know what it is called?
view the full question and answer
Identification of a tree in Florida with bell-shaped red flowers
November 23, 2012 - A friend in Florida has asked about identification of a tree with a flower none of us have ever seen. It starts with a green pod, then flowers into, what looks to me like a Chinese lantern, or bell. I...
view the full question and answer
Identification of rose campion
August 04, 2007 - My friend shared a plant with me and I cannot identify it. She said that it was Rose Campriow? or something like this. It has very small pink/purplish blooms with grey green foliage. It is a perenn...
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |