Best Plant Identification 

By Caitlin Osburn 
With warmer weather and the end of spring semester in sight, | found myself venturing into Christy 
Woods and spotting unfamiliar plants. With no field guide handy, | grabbed my phone and captured 
a couple of photos of mystery plants to look up on the internet when | got home. Finding the 
answers this way can be a tedious process while searching forums for photos that looked like mine, 
only to come up short and unsure. Wouldn’t it be simpler, | thought, if there was something that 
could identify a plant and offer information about it in a matter of seconds? 
Luckily, as with seemingly everything, there are apps for just that. However, the increasing 
number of plant identification apps can be overwhelming. | looked for apps that were accurate but 
also easy to learn how to use. | tested three of the top-rated plant identification apps -- iNaturalist, 
Pi@nt Net, and Plant Snap -- to see which one seemed the most user-friendly and reliable. Each is 
available for both iOS and Android systems. Here is what | found. 
Naturalist G) treme comme wore~ iNaturalist provides information about plants 
and wildlife by using Artificial Intelligence, as well 
as a community of scientists and naturalists. Users 
can make use of field guides created by other 
users to virtually explore areas such as national 
379,946 parks and museums. 
Species Observed Positive reviewers noted that they especially 
liked engaging with other people who shared 
interests in wildlife and that there are no ads while 
SIGN UP ch LEARN using the app. | personally enjoy how engaging the 
app is and how much you can learn while using it. 
While this app has a considerable amount of 
accuracy, the results are not immediate. You 
have to wait for other users to identify the plant or 
wildlife for you, which would be my one criticism. 
Users also mentioned that the app can 
Hike cabroensa Sas iHaateierlicd ba olit-Halladben cl the sometimes be buggy and is prone to crashing, 
= @ = BCIENCES GEOGRAPHIC = soparticularly when using Android or Google phones; 
hational Oeopniplic Gecerdy 
if | 
4 Faerthen Felix - Veesbern Snakeroot [rom Saeechen Creck, Calilonnia, USA 

however, | did not find this to be an issue. 
Plant Snap is an app for identifying various 
plants — trees, succulents, weeds — even from a 
single well-formed leaf or flower. You can either 
search by taking a photo or by the name of the 
species, if you already know what it is. The app 
A fe) Fe nt expert also allows you to connect with other nature lovers 
at your alat: (ad) by posting and sharing photos, gardening tips, 
ee a and other nature discoveries. Plant Snap also 
nena states that they plant a tree for every person that 
downloads the app and becomes a registered user. 
While reviewers liked the variety of things to 
do on the app, many were dissatisfied with their 
experiences, noting that you have to pay in order 
to obtain full access to Plant Snap, and, even then, 
there were many negatives about it. 
WHO WEAR DIPLO MAD PLATO PRC FELOPA «6A 
PLAST A TEM SLDSCHImE IN THE PETES. 
fowers, cack Suecubents and rv a 

4 « Indiana Native Plant Society - Summer 2021 
