# Anyone recommend a free plant/ bush recognition app



## Dave7 (13 Aug 2020)

I often seen plants etc when walking and wonder what they are.
I have posted some photos on CC with good results.
There are some free apps that look good but I am paranoid of viruses etc.
I imagine everything off playstore is safe but a recommendation would be good


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## The Crofted Crest (13 Aug 2020)

PlantNet


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## ianrauk (13 Aug 2020)

Seek is really good


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## Julia9054 (13 Aug 2020)

My mother


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## Speicher (13 Aug 2020)

ianrauk said:


> Seek is really good



Do you use it to identify animals and birds, as well as plants?


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## ianrauk (13 Aug 2020)

Speicher said:


> Do you use it to identify animals and birds, as well as plants?


Only ever used it for plants.


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## Dave7 (13 Aug 2020)

Speicher said:


> Do you use it to identify animals and birds, as well as plants?


Hadn't thought of it. Not sure how I would photograph them.


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## Speicher (13 Aug 2020)

ianrauk said:


> Only ever used it for plants.



I get a fair amount of snakes, and rodents in my garden, and I would like to know what they are. Allegedly I picked up a baby adder recently. I was wearing gloves, and it was very small.


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## Speicher (13 Aug 2020)

Dave7 said:


> Hadn't thought of it. Not sure how I would photograph them.



The Seek site says you do not need to photograph them just point your phone at the thing to be identified.


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## The Crofted Crest (13 Aug 2020)

Dave7 said:


> Hadn't thought of it. Not sure how I would photograph them.



There is a camera in the app (both PlantNet and Seek). It's really simple. You just press the button, the app takes a picture and nanoseconds later it tells you what the plant is.


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## Dirk (13 Aug 2020)

Dave7 said:


> I often seen plants etc when walking and wonder what they are.
> I have posted some photos on CC with good results.
> There are some free apps that look good but I am paranoid of viruses etc.
> I imagine everything off playstore is safe but a recommendation wouldde be good


I use Candide.
It's a bit like Facebook for plants.







Found it to be pretty good.


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## dan_bo (13 Aug 2020)

Seek thought my dog was a pig. 

I can see it's point.


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## Nitram55 (13 Aug 2020)

Picture This for plant ID


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## PaulSB (14 Aug 2020)

I've never used one of these apps but having retired from a career in horticulture feel my plant identification is pretty good. There are big gaps in my knowledge, I'm good on commercially grown plants, very poor for example on hedgerow plants. I do find the further I get in to retirement the harder a find it to be specific about a variety or cultivar.

This thread caught my eye so I read a little about the individual apps. It seems most rely on "citizen science." That is the public build the database for identification of plants.

Interested to know if there is any general view on how reliable this is? Not necessarily for plants but in general.


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## simon the viking (14 Aug 2020)

most android phones have google lens installed... i use that to identity anything and it scans qr codes


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## Dave7 (17 Aug 2020)

simon the viking said:


> most android phones have google lens installed... i use that to identity anything and it scans qr codes


Please enlighten me.
What is a google lens?
How does it work ?
I have a new phone (Samsung A20)......does that have such a thingymebobs ?


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## simon the viking (17 Aug 2020)

Dave7 said:


> Please enlighten me.
> What is a google lens?
> How does it work ?
> I have a new phone (Samsung A20)......does that have such a thingymebobs ?


its an app linked to the camera function. often installed in the pre installed google stuff. but I've an A20 and I think I had to install from play store then give it permissions for camera. then when you take a photo an icon comes up little box with dot in it. press that and searches online for the image or text etc... cracking app


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