Native Plants
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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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Saturday - April 03, 2010
From: Austin, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Non-Natives
Title: Problems with non-native hollyhock in Austin
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
Our hollyhocks develop small yellow spots on the leaves; these eventually spread into little swellings on the underside; I think of them as lesions. They spread and the leaf turns brown and shrivels up. Can you give me any information that would assist?ANSWER:
There is one hollyhock native to North America, Iliamna rivularis (streambank wild hollyhock), but it does not grow in Texas. It seems more likely that what you have is Alcea rosea, Hollyhock, thought to have originated in Asia, but now so hybridized that it is only found in cultivation, not as a wildflower. Since the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is dedicated to the use, protection and propagation of plants native not only to North America but to the area in which the plants are being grown, the cultivated form of hollyhock would be out of our area of expertise.
Here is an article on Alcea rosea from Michigan State University Extension, which mentions the plant is subject to several diseases.
More Non-Natives Questions
Could lilacs grow in Georgia?
April 27, 2010 - Hi Mr Smarty Pants,
First off, I want to commend you on your promotion of native plants. I am passionately anti-invasive plants (in fact, it was the subject of my master's thesis). That being said...
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Problems with non-native ixora in Punta Gorda, FL
April 16, 2009 - We are having problems with our Ixora plants. The leaves turn yellow, then fall down.
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Questions about lilies from Trussville AL
January 10, 2012 - How can I tell what kind of lily I have? Or better yet,what is the difference between Asiatic lily and a daylily? I also noticed someone asked about Cahaba lily. Just want to let you know I grow Caha...
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Will deer eat lemon cypress trees from Hayden ID
June 02, 2012 - Do deer eat lemon cypress trees? We do not think so since they are so spiny, but wanted a clarification.
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Suckers on non-native crape myrtle in Bay Point CA
July 22, 2010 - How can I stop suckers on a Crepe Myrtle tree? I have bought sucker stopper in the past, but find it hard to locate now. Is there something else I can spray or paint on the base of the tree to stop ...
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