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

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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.