Host an Event Volunteer Join Tickets

Support the plant database you love!

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.

Help us grow by giving to the Plant Database Fund or by becoming a member

Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?

Share

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.

Search Smarty Plants
See a list of all Smarty Plants questions

Please forgive us, but Mr. Smarty Plants has been overwhelmed by a flood of mail and must take a break for awhile to catch up. We hope to be accepting new questions again soon. Thank you!

Need help with plant identification, visit the plant identification page.

 
rate this answer
Not Yet Rated

Friday - January 04, 2013

From: Austin, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Non-Natives, User Comments, Vines
Title: Mexican species Orbexilum melanocarpum.
Answered by: Joe Marcus

QUESTION:

This is not a question; just a note to supplement a previous MSP post answering a query about a source for Orbexilum. The "mountain pea" that the original questioner was asking about is the evergreen North American Native Orbexilum melanocarpum found native in the Sierras of northeastern Mexico, hence the name "mountain pea". If you wish to add this plant to your database the relevant botanical literature is by Billie L. Turner in LUNDELLIA 11:1–7. 2008 and is posted on the internet. BTW it's a great landscape plant in Austin and the eastern half of Texas, as are most natives from mid elevation in the Sierra Madre Oriental.

ANSWER:

Thank you for the amplifying information!  It will be useful to our readers.

For technical reasons, we do not include information on strictly Mexican species in our database and thus, sometimes overlook them in our research.

 

More Vines Questions

Native vine for California deck
November 24, 2009 - Can you recommend a native California vine to grow on our deck to cover a trellis under a deck? There is a canopy of live coast oak above the deck so there is bright, filtered light. Thank you.
view the full question and answer

Evergreen Vine for San Antonio Trellis
November 23, 2011 - I have a new trellis at the end of my patio on which I want to grow an evergreen vine. The area is fairly shady. I had settled on Carolina Jasmine, but read that it is very toxic which is worrisome ...
view the full question and answer

Plant identification request for a vine
September 19, 2007 - I would like to identify a wild vine that I have just discovered in our bush. It has leaves similar in shape to a maple leaf,approx.4"wide, has white flower spikes, and some kind of a fruit or pod t...
view the full question and answer

Identification of vine from Las Vegas NV
July 11, 2012 - I'm interested in identifying the vine shown by the leaf in this photo: https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/zR3R4JSPYcCI4ESczNXWM4h8z33Cq5cyZNqSSYf9hx0?feat=directlink My mother-in-law got one o...
view the full question and answer

Poison Ivy in Semi-wetland Massachusetts
June 27, 2013 - You answered this question for Tennessee, but I would like an answer for a Massachusetts semi-wetlands area: What can I plant to discourage poison ivy, or at least make it very clear that it is poison...
view the full question and answer

Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today.