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.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
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.
rate this answer
Thursday - May 27, 2010
From: Lake Winnebago, MO
Region: Midwest
Topic: Propagation
Title: Pollination of blackberries in Lake Winnebago, MO
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
Not sure if blackberries are native, but my daughter got a start of one at a plant exchange at the nature center. Do we need more than one for it to pollinate correctly? We have strawberries growing in the backyard also, if that makes a difference. Thanks so much for your help.ANSWER:
There are 31 members of the genus Rubus, blackberry, native to North America and 5 native to Missouri. We don't have any way of knowing which of these you have, but since they are all the same genus, the information we can find should be correct for all of them. The blackberries native to Missouri are:
Rubus allegheniensis (Allegheny blackberry)
Rubus alumnus (oldfield blackberry)
Rubus allegheniensis var. allegheniensis (Allegheny blackberry)
Rubus argutus (sawtooth blackberry)
Rubus recurvans (recurved blackberry)
We assume you are asking us if there are male and female bushes, as there are in the holly family and some other berry-producing shrubs. The answer to that is no, members of the Rubus genus are monoecious, meaning they have both male and female flowers on each bush. You can follow the above links to the webpage on each species of blackberry for more information, and go to the Google link at the bottom of that webpage for articles and pictures from the Internet.
More Propagation Questions
transplanting Maidenhair Fern (Adiantum capillus-veneris)
October 25, 2011 - Behind our house is a huge grotto with a spring flowing through it that runs into a creek. Because of the constant flow of water, there are many of the Maidenhair Ferns (Adiantum capillus-veneris). I ...
view the full question and answer
Landscape services in Austin
February 21, 2011 - I just bought a property in Austin with a terrific outdoor space. However, I came to find that the previous owner added jasmine and many other invasive species. I'd like to rid the entire space of th...
view the full question and answer
Panels for greenhouse in Austin
January 09, 2008 - I am building a greenhouse for my plants here in Austin and and will be using PVC panels for the roof. Which would be better for starting and growing plants the clear or the white panels?
view the full question and answer
Determining ripeness of seeds of Crotonn texensis
May 01, 2007 - How can I tell when the seeds of Croton texensis are "ripe"?
view the full question and answer
Propagation of American Beautyberry
November 03, 2009 - Hello. I would love to know how to propagate the American Beauty (Texas Location) as I think it is most gorgeous. We lost most of our shrubs/plants in Ike and are replacing them. If I do these from ...
view the full question and answer
| Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |