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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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Tuesday - October 01, 2013

From: Batesville, MS
Region: Southeast
Topic: Diseases and Disorders
Title: Leaf browning problem on unidentified plant from Batesville MS
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

Have a night series plant that is all of a sudden the leaves on the ends are turning dark brown and eventually back to the stalk. I flushes good and cut off dead parts and it continues. Any ideas? it is 16 years old. Thanks in advance for your reply, Bryan

ANSWER:

Sorry, we  have no idea what a"night series" plant is, and it would be very difficult to diagnose the problem without some idea if the plant is a woody tree or shrub or a perennial herbaceous blooming plant and, most importantly, whether it is native to North America and to the area of Panola County MS. The only plants we have in our Native Plant Database are those native not only to North America but also to the area in which they are being grown. Perhaps you could find out if someone else knows the name of the plant and send us that; in that case, we could at least determine if it is native and, if not, give you some links to resources on the Internet to help you.

 

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