Native Plants
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Ask Mr. Smarty Plants
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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Friday - January 30, 2009
From: St. Petersburg, FL
Region: Southeast
Topic: Non-Natives
Title: Leaves on non-native Rose Cactus
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
I have a Rose Cactus (Pereskia grandifolia). The leaves have all dropped off. I was wondering if this is normal in the winter. Also, is the pear shaped fruit edible.ANSWER:
Pereskia grandifolia (Rose cactus) is native to Brazil, and therefore not in our area of expertise at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. We did learn that the leaves normally drop off in Winter, but could not find any reference to the edibility of the fruit. It apparently is very fast-growing and can be invasive. We found this website, Rose Cactus from Desert Tropicals, which might give you more information.More Non-Natives Questions
Return to original color of non-native crape myrtles in Henderson, TX
July 17, 2009 - Mr. Smarty Plants,
I bought 3 Dynamite Crape Myrtles that were about 3 -4 feet tall (at Lowe's). In the late Spring, I planted 2 of them about 100 feet apart, in full sun, and left the other one in...
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Non-native Japanese maple seedling in Rotterdam NY
August 09, 2010 - In the first couple days of August, I discovered a baby Japanese Maple growing against the wall of my storage shed, a short distance from a neighbor's full grown Japanese Maple. I transplanted this 5...
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Indoor plants for El Paso TX
January 05, 2013 - I want to know what kind of plants will survive indoors in El Paso. It is so dry here, is there anything leafy or flowery that will thrive indoors in this climate?
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Pruning of non-native New Dawn rose in Fairfield CT
May 13, 2009 - Hi! Can you help me with blind shoots on a climbing rose, New Dawn? The sun is planted in the south side of the house and gets plenty of light. I have only lightly fertilized it twice a year last yea...
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Can non-native Epiphyllum (Orchid Cactus) be grown in Round Rock, Texas?
July 01, 2014 - Can the Epiphyllum (Orchid Cactus) be grown in the Round Rock Texas area or is this area too hot for it?
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