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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 - March 22, 2005

From: Texas City , TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: General Botany
Title: Smarty Plants on Hypogon
Answered by: Joe Marcus

QUESTION:

How many sides does a hypogon have?

ANSWER:

If you are asking about the stems of the native plant genus Hypogon (all North American species are now placed in the genus Collinsonia), then the answer is four. Collinsonias (syn: Hypogon spp.) are members of the Lamiaceae (Labiatae) family. Most members of that family, including the genus Collinsonia, feature square stems.
 

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