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.

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?

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

Saturday - June 23, 2012

From: Kerrville, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Shrubs
Title: Will Pavonia lasiopetala grow in Oklahoma from Kerrville Tx
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

How successfully could I grow Pavonia lasiopetala in central Oklahoma? My research shows that it is not native to Oklahoma.

ANSWER:

We sense that, as your question came from Kerrville TX that you are preparing to move to Oklahoma and want to take some of your plants with you. We don't blame you, Pavonia lasiopetala (Rock rose) are lovely, and are growing and blooming profusely in the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. It appears that in Kerrville, you are in nearly perfect conditions for this member of the Mallow family.

Native Distribution: In TX, from Edwards Plateau through Rio Grande Plains to adjacent Mex.
Native Habitat: Dry, rocky woods and slopes. Pastures, Savannahs, Ditches, Ravines, Depressions Open woodlands.

You are correct; this USDA Plant Profile shows it native only to Texas, and that is in Central Texas and the Big Bend area. Since we do not know what part of Oklahoma you are planning to plant these shrubs, we really have no way to predict how they will do. You know, plants don't necessarily grow where they are supposed to but where they can get away with it.

We would suggest that you Google for the Extension Office of the county in which you are hoping these will grow. Find out from them what the soils are in that area. That will probably determine whether or not it's worth a try. On this Dave's Garden website, Tulsa, Oklahoma is listed as a location where this plant is known to grow so, again, it's where are you planting the plant?

From the Image Gallery

Rock rose
Pavonia lasiopetala