Quantcast
ZME Science
  • CoronavirusNEW
  • News
  • Environment
    • Climate
    • Animals
    • Renewable Energy
    • Eco tips
    • Environmental Issues
    • Green Living
  • Health
    • Alternative Medicine
    • Anatomy
    • Diseases
    • Genetics
    • Mind & Brain
    • Nutrition
  • Future
  • Space
  • Feature
    • Feature Post
    • Art
    • Great Pics
    • Design
    • Fossil Friday
    • AstroPicture
    • GeoPicture
    • Did you know?
    • Offbeat
  • More
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Our stance on climate change
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

No Result
View All Result
ZME Science
No Result
View All Result
Home Environment Green Living

Free phone app identifies plants from just a picture

It's like Shazam for plants - PlantNet is a free app that can help you identify plants based on just taking a picture.

Alexandra Gerea by Alexandra Gerea
March 1, 2016
in Green Living, How To, News
ADVERTISEMENT

It’s like Shazam for plants – PlantNet is a free app that can help you identify plants based on just taking a picture.

Photo: YouTube/InriaChannel

Most people think that science is something abstract, disconnected from the day to day reality of life, but I really don’t think that’s the case. If you want to encourage the scientist inside, observing and understanding the nature around you is a great way of doing so. No matter where you live, you’re bound to have some plants around you… but how many can you identify and understand them? To be honest, I can only work out the common ones from my area, and this type of app seems like it could be very useful.

The app collects data from a large social network that uploads pictures and information about plants. It’s also useful to learn more about plant morphology and biology. It also does another thing, though more subtle: it makes you interact more with nature. Let’s face it, we all pass by trees and plants every day, but we pay little attention to them; most of the time, we don’t even notice them. With a bit of practice, you could identify plants as you’re walking past them and not only keep your brain entertained, but also appreciate your surroundings more.

Get more science news like this...

Join the ZME newsletter for amazing science news, features, and exclusive scoops. More than 40,000 subscribers can't be wrong.

   

ADVERTISEMENT

From what I tested it, it seems to work quite fine, but the data base is still a work in progress (especially from North America). Many plants are common between the temperate areas of Europe and North America however, and you can make deductions based on that, so you should be able to manage.

This also works really well in tandem with another app, Leafsnap, that identifies trees based on leaf shape. It’s also not the only app of its kind – I was surprised to see there’s quite a number of apps that helps you identify flowers and trees. So, now you can go out and identify that rosebush… or is it a dahlia?

Tags: appplantsscience app
Alexandra Gerea

Alexandra Gerea

Alexandra is a naturalist who is firmly in love with our planet and the environment. When she's not writing about climate or animal rights, you can usually find her doing field research or reading the latest nutritional studies.

Follow ZME on social media

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
  • Coronavirus
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Feature
  • More

© 2007-2019 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Coronavirus
  • News
  • Environment
    • Climate
    • Animals
    • Renewable Energy
    • Eco tips
    • Environmental Issues
    • Green Living
  • Health
    • Alternative Medicine
    • Anatomy
    • Diseases
    • Genetics
    • Mind & Brain
    • Nutrition
  • Future
  • Space
  • Feature
    • Feature Post
    • Art
    • Great Pics
    • Design
    • Fossil Friday
    • AstroPicture
    • GeoPicture
    • Did you know?
    • Offbeat
  • More
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Our stance on climate change
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

© 2007-2019 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.