PlantWise

Plant identifier: identify any plant from a photo

Photograph a leaf, flower or whole plant and PlantWise names it, shows the clues it used, lists look-alikes and tells you how to keep it alive. Free, no app, no account.

Identify a plant · Find your zone · Frost dates

A pressed fern frond and a sprig of wild geranium taped to a herbarium sheet, with a typed determination label in the corner

Take or choose a photo
One leaf, flower or the whole plant, in focus. Stays private: it is sent only to identify it and is not stored.

Determinationawaiting specimen
Name
common and scientific
Why
the features in your photo that point to it
Care
light, water, soil, hardiness
Safety
toxicity to people, cats and dogs
Look-alikes
and how to tell them apart

Identify by what you’re looking at

TreesOne whole leaf, flat, filling the frame, including the stalkFlowersThe open flower face-on, in focusWeedsThe whole plant from aboveHouseplantsThe whole plant in its pot

How to take a photo that gets identified

Botanists name plants from a handful of fixed features, and a photo either shows them or it doesn’t. These habits make the biggest difference:

  1. Fill the frame with one part. A single leaf or flower, sharp, beats a whole bush where everything is small.
  2. Include the join. Where the leaf meets the stem shows whether leaves are paired or staggered, simple or compound.
  3. Flowers and fruit trump leaves. If it is blooming or fruiting, photograph that first.
  4. Daylight, no flash. Flash flattens texture and bleaches colour.
  5. Add a note. Scent, sap colour, height and where it grows are clues a photo can’t carry.

Questions gardeners ask

Is the plant identifier really free?

Yes. There is no account, no trial and no app to install. You can identify plants in any phone or desktop browser.

How accurate is identifying a plant from a photo?

For common garden plants, houseplants and trees, a sharp photo of a leaf or flower usually gives the right species. Accuracy drops for seedlings, grasses, blurry photos and rare cultivars. Every result shows a confidence level and look-alikes, and tells you which extra photo would settle it.

What happens to my photo?

It is shrunk in your browser, sent once to the AI model to be identified, and not stored by PlantWise. Your last 12 results are saved only in your own browser so you can look back; you can clear them any time.

Can it tell me what is wrong with my plant?

Switch to “What’s wrong with it?” before you upload. It looks for pests, leaf spots, scorch, nutrient deficiency and watering problems, lists likely causes and gives step-by-step fixes.

Is it safe to eat a plant the app identified?

No. Never eat a wild plant, berry or mushroom based on a photo identification. Several deadly plants look very similar to edible ones.