How Plant Finder Works

Plant Finder turns a photo or a written observation into a short list of plants worth comparing. It is a practical starting point, not a field guide, an expert consultation, or a guarantee that a plant is safe.

Start with the clearest evidence

You can use the tool in two ways:

• Identify by photo when you can share a clear view of a leaf, flower, fruit, bark, stem, or the whole plant.
• Describe a plant when a photo is not available. Plain language works: shape, color, size, season, habitat, and growing conditions are all useful.

The strongest starting point is specific but simple. A close leaf with visible veins is often more useful than a distant image of an entire garden.

How a response is created

Your input is sent to the site's AI processing service. It returns one to three possible matches, a reason each may fit, visible traits to compare, and uncertainty where the evidence is thin.

The response is generated from the information provided. It can be incomplete or wrong, especially for look-alike species, damaged plants, unusual cultivars, or blurry images. Treat it as a research starting point.

Public reference links

After a response appears, Plant Finder may add optional public references from GBIF and Wikipedia. Those lookups happen separately, so a temporary public-source outage does not remove an otherwise useful suggestion.

Use those links to compare scientific names, range, taxonomy, and photographs. Availability depends on the suggested name and the public source; a missing link does not count for or against a match.

When not to rely on a result

Do not use Plant Finder to decide whether a plant is edible, medicinal, toxic, safe for pets or children, invasive, protected, or legal to harvest. Those decisions require local, current, expert advice.

If a decision matters, take more than one photograph, note the place and season, and consult a local botanist, extension service, herbarium, or another qualified authority.

Privacy and respectful use

Avoid uploading faces, addresses, labels with personal information, or anything else sensitive. Use photos you are allowed to share. See the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service for the full use conditions.