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Identifying Unknown Plants/Questions
| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
| Plant identity | 8/27/2010 | Sara Rall |
| Q: My aunt has a plant growing in her garden and we know nothing about it. It has flowers and is ... A: Several things would help, most particularly a picture of the plant. Do you know what color the ... | ||
| identifying bulbs | 8/27/2010 | Sara Rall |
| Q: My wife recently passed %26 I was working in her flower beds. I dug up some bulbs. I don't know what ... A: I'm very sorry to hear about your wife. I think you probably have daffodil bulbs. They are the ... | ||
| Identify a bush | 8/26/2010 | Sara Rall |
| Q: This was planted 11 years ago, does not flower would grow to possibly 12 feet. If you trimmed it ... A: I'm afraid I'm stumped. It's somewhat similiar to a witch hazel in growth. The buds, though ... | ||
| mystery green plant? | 8/26/2010 | Sara Rall |
| Q: this plant came up in the woods, very shaded area. it is about 6' tall. I live in NE Alabama by the ... A: Well, to start with, it's a tree. Trees with catkins in your area include alders, birches, aspen, ... | ||
| what are these strange little bulbous white things | 8/26/2010 | Sara Rall |
| Q: This plant came up in my strawberry bed. the white bulbous things on top of it don't look like ... A: I'd have to say that those bulbous white things are the inflorescence of your plant. In otherwords, ... | ||
| is this a privet hedge? | 8/26/2010 | Sara Rall |
| Q: if so, which kind, it has white flowers in the spring, followed by green rather oval shaped berries, ... A: Except for the red fruits, it looks and sounds like a privet. But I nave not heard of any privet ... | ||
| Identify a bush | 8/24/2010 | Sara Rall |
| Q: This was planted 11 years ago, does not flower would grow to possibly 12 feet. If you trimmed it ... A: It looks a lot like a hazel. A close up of a leaf would help a lot. Also look to see if there are ... | ||
| Small Tree | 8/22/2010 | Sara Rall |
| Q: Not sure if you are the correct person to ask... I bought a small tree at a store...it has about 7 ... A: House plants are not really my specialty. I can tell you Money Tree is Pachira aquatica, and it is ... | ||
| What is this plant? | 8/20/2010 | Sara Rall |
| Q: This plant is about 4 feet high now, took 3 years to get there. We live in Kingman Arizona, approx. ... A: Not really certain, as I don't have much experience with Arizona plants. From the shape and lack ... | ||
| similar looking plants | 8/19/2010 | Sara Rall |
| Q: How can I tell the difference between a Stromanthe, and calathea tricolor? A: I do not grow either of these, as I am far more focused on local wild plants, but from checking on ... | ||
| Help identify (2) unknown plants. | 8/19/2010 | Sara Rall |
| Q: So I have two unidentified new plants growing pretty fast. They both look like they could be trees. ... A: Well, your first one looks a lot like a red mulberry. It's definitely a tree of some kind, with that ... | ||
| unknown plant | 8/14/2010 | Sara Rall |
| Q: This year I had a bunch of plants come up where the aster were planted last year. 3 - 4 ft tall, ... A: Several questions: Where are you located? What state or region? Are you saying that the 3-4 foot ... | ||
| identifying a plant | 8/12/2010 | Sara Rall |
| Q: I took over taking care of a raised bed at the school I work in. I don't have any idea what I'm ... A: Sounds a lot like Velvetleaf, Abutilon theophrasti, particularly if the leaves are soft or hairy. If ... | ||
| mystery squash | 8/11/2010 | Sara Rall |
| Q: I have a large squash plant that appeared in my topsoil/compost pile. It starts as a squash blossom, ... A: Sounds like you have a summer squash of some kind. Smooth, elongated, pale green with no striping ... | ||
| Help with unidentified plant | 8/11/2010 | Sara Rall |
| Q: Greetings..I live in chico CA qnd almost over night this plqnt came up in my back yard next to the ... A: It is awfully hard to identify plants from just a shoot. This is surely a monocot of some kind, most ... | ||
| Godzilla sized berry plant in Michigan | 8/10/2010 | Sara Rall |
| Q: Attached is a photo of a large plant I refer to as Godzilla. Godzilla first appeared in the Fall ... A: Godzilla is Poke or Pokeweed, Phytolacca americana, and for Heaven's sake don't go around tasting ... | ||
| identifing a plant | 8/9/2010 | Sara Rall |
| Q: I have a plant growing in my garden that i have no idea what it is. Its leaves are broad and flat ... A: In researching someone else's completely unrelated question, I came across a picture of Proboscidea ... | ||
| what is this berry bush? | 8/9/2010 | Sara Rall |
| Q: Please help us identify this berry bush. We'd like to know if the fruit is edible. We thought it was ... A: This one looks like a crabapple. The somewhat lobed leaves are distinctive. The fruit are smallish. ... | ||
| are these edible fruit? | 8/9/2010 | Sara Rall |
| Q: You did so well in helping us identify our dogwood bushes with tiny blue berries. Now we need help ... A: These look more like untended apple than crabapple to me, though it's hard to be sure from the ... | ||
| what is this? | 8/2/2010 | Sara Rall |
| Q: Here are 4 images of my mystery plantor is it a tree? : flower, fruit, leaves and stem, I'd love to ... A: You don't by any chance live in New Zealand or the east coast of Australia, do you? If so, I ... | ||
| unknown plant | 8/2/2010 | Sara Rall |
| Q: plant now 5 feet tall,3 feet wide, soft, velvety serrated leaves, nearly heart-shaped(2in wide,3in ... A: Where are you located? Did you notice any flowers before the seeds? If so, what color, anything ... | ||
| blue berry bush - not blueberries!? | 8/2/2010 | Sara Rall |
| Q: We have several bushes on our property that have tiny blue berries that are now turning blue -- they ... A: Looks to me like you may have a blue-fruited Dogwood bush, Cornus sp. The opposite, non-toothed ... | ||
| Plant identification | 8/1/2010 | Sara Rall |
| Q: I'm sending pictures of a large tree/hedge between my neighbor's and my house. No one is able to ... A: It looks a lot like a Madrone, Arbutus menziezi, also called Madrona (in Oregon) and Arbutus (in ... | ||
| Plant identification | 8/1/2010 | Sara Rall |
| Q: I'm sending pictures of a large tree/hedge between my neighbor's and my house. No one is able to ... A: Hard to tell from this picture. The large, glossy leaves could be something in an oak or magnolia ... | ||
| pics | 8/1/2010 | Sara Rall |
| Q: Found the way to send pics A: It's a white Double Confederate Rose or Cotton Rosemallow, a Hibiscus mutabilis. It grows as a shrub ... | ||
| 7 ft plant | 8/1/2010 | Sara Rall |
| Q: My first time to this site. I read the question from Diana about an eight foot flower in with some ... A: Can you attach a picture of the plant? Seeds or seed pods would be particularly helpful, as would a ... | ||
| Unknown Plant | 7/29/2010 | Sara Rall |
| Q: This was given to me a couple of months ago, it's not currently too happy, but i'd be very curious ... A: I'm sorry, I don't recognize your plant. It's hard to tell from the picture, but I think you may ... | ||
| Is this poisonous? | 7/29/2010 | Sara Rall |
| Q: Please help me to identify this plant. And tell me whether it is poisonous. There is familiar ... A: I believe you have a variety of Pokeweed, Phytolacca sp., as you identified from my colleague's ... | ||
| unknown plant | 7/29/2010 | Sara Rall |
| Q: Can you identify this plant? It came up in a corner of my garden where I sprinkled some mixed flower ... A: Figured it out, thanks to a picture sent in by another reader. I believe you have a white, double ... | ||
| Wild Thistle Plant | 7/28/2010 | Sara Rall |
| Q: Sara, Earlier this season I took pictures of a thistle plant unlike any I've seen. There are ... A: You have Buffalo Bur, Solanum rostratum, also called Prickly Nightshade or Kansas Thistle, which is ... | ||
| think a soil fungus! | 7/26/2010 | Sara Rall |
| Q: I am noticing more and more that it is growing on the top of my soil in pots and now climbing up the ... A: This is pushing the edges of my area of knowledge, but here are some thoughts... Green flat growth ... | ||
| Poisonous? | 7/26/2010 | Sara Rall |
| Q: In a corner of my (Michigan) back bed (lightly wooded) I have worked hard over fifteen years to ... A: You likely have Virginia Creeper, Parthenocissus quinquefolia. It looks a lot like Poison Ivy, but ... | ||
| Bishop's Weed | 7/26/2010 | Sara Rall |
| Q: What will keep this ground cover? A: I am better at identifying plants than I am at gardening (I have 4 kids and no time), but here's ... | ||
| Vine with White Flowers? | 7/25/2010 | Sara Rall |
| Q: I was wondering if you could help me identify this? The vine popped up in my backyard recently and I ... A: I'm sorry to say you have Hedge Bindweed, Calystegia sepium (sometimes called Convolvulus sepium). ... | ||
| Unknown flower | 7/24/2010 | Sara Rall |
| Q: You said you'd take a stab at anything, so I was wondering if you could help me identify this ... A: It looks to me like Dietes bicolor, a cultivated flower in the Iris family from South Africa. It ... | ||
| Pears vs. apples vs. peaches in the wild | 8/19/2009 | Trey Tarrant |
| Q: and enjoy foraging. I have had wild pears pointed out to me by an expert, and find it hard to tell ... A: Though they are similar looking, differentiating pears from apples is easy with practice. For one ... | ||
| purple passion plant | 8/11/2009 | Trey Tarrant |
| Q: I have a beautiful purple passion as long as its out side. it can't stay out all the time,I live in ... A: If you are using a general purpose potting soil, I doubt that's the problem. Roots are often ... | ||
| importance of trees | 8/7/2009 | Trey Tarrant |
| Q: I have problems with this question "Consider the importance of trees." i)Can you give some clear ... A: This is a rather vague question, but I'll try to answer. Trees are important for a number of ... | ||
| Toad stool in Prayer Plant | 8/3/2009 | Trey Tarrant |
| Q: This toad stool popped up in my prayer plant. It is exquisite, but don't know how it got there. This ... A: I don't know the species of mushroom, but I can tell you how it got there. Fungi reproduce by ... | ||
| Bush-like begonias... I think | 7/16/2009 | Trey Tarrant |
| Q: I hope you can help, or direct me to someone who can. My mother (who passed away over a year ago) ... A: I'm not sure exactly what kind of plants you have, but here are some general guidelines for ... | ||
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