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
Wednesday - May 30, 2012
From: Antioch, TN
Region: Southeast
Topic: Plant Identification, Vines
Title: Identification of vine with 4-petaled purple flower
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
Does anybody know what vine has a purple four petaled flower with small bulb in middle??ANSWER:
One vine that I found that meets your description is Clematis occidentalis var. occidentalis (Purple clematis). The USDA Plants Database shows its distribution to include adjacent Virginia and North Carolina, but not Tennessee. However, there is the possibility that it could occur in Tennessee and hasn't yet been reported. You can see more photos and information from US Forest Service and from the the University of Michigan Plant Diversity Website.
If that isn't the vine you have seen, then you can do a COMBINATION SEARCH for native vines that occur in Tennessee in our Native Plant Database by choosing "Tennessee" from the Select State or Province option and "Vine" from the Habit (general appearance) slot. If it is not a native vine, it won't appear in our database. If you have a photo, you can visit our Plant Identification page to find links to several plant identification forums that accept photos of plants for identification.
From the Image Gallery
More Plant Identification Questions
Identification of plant with white spike blooms and red berries
July 06, 2014 - I just came back from a hike in Dallas and found large areas where a lanceolate- to acuminate- leafed herb was blooming spikes of white, 4 petal flowers that quickly turn to bright red berries, someti...
view the full question and answer
Is Texas Mountain Laurel what I planted in Magnolia TX?
March 21, 2010 - I think I planted Texas Mt. Laurels and need to see a pic of early plants. Can you help?
view the full question and answer
Website with map showing occurence of species
November 25, 2015 - Hello and thank you so much for this amazing site and all the information you provide. Recently after reading about some really neat species on here I ended up surfing the net for pictures and somehow...
view the full question and answer
Plant identification
July 24, 2010 - I was wondering if you could help me identify a plant in the carrot family that has invaded a portion of my property that I fear may be toxic. It looks most like the water hemlock plant (leaf-wise, ...
view the full question and answer
Plant identification
July 15, 2010 - I bought a double knock-out rose bush and planted it in my yard. A year later a weed-like plant started growing beside it. It has very thorny leaves, stems and stalk. Little purple flowers are grow...
view the full question and answer
| Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |