With a plant identifier app on your smartphone, you’ll never have to wonder what the name of a plant or flower, or even a tree, is ever again! Using computer algorithms, artificial intelligence (AI), or even actual humans, the plant identifier apps available for download all provide a great deal of information about thousands of plant and flower species. Here at Minneapolis’s best florist, Schaaf Floral, we’ve done the hard work for you by providing a list of the best-reviewed and most popular identifier apps available.

Boost Your Botanical Smarts With One of These Plant ID Apps

PlantNet

PlantNet is an app that helps you identify plants or flowers just by photographing them with your smartphone. From flowering plants to trees, grasses, ferns, vines, cacti, and conifers, this app uses visual recognition software to scan photos from your phone and provide matches. This is a free app that “learns” from every new photo that is uploaded into it. Plus, all of the plants submitted are collected and analyzed by a team of experts to get a better understanding of plant biodiversity and preservation solutions.

PictureThis

PictureThis is an application that uses AI technology to identify plants and flowers and is well-reviewed for its accuracy and ease of use. Just snap a photo and within moments the app will determine the type of plant or flower. The developers claim 99% accuracy and over 27 million plants identified through user submissions. PictureThis is a paid subscription service but offers a 7-day free trial.

What’s That Flower?

Instead of relying on photo uploads, this app presents matches based on answers to questions you enter such as the color, habitat, number of petals, etc. What’s That Flower is a nice alternative for figuring out what a plant or flower is that you don’t have a photo of, perhaps one from memory you’ve always wanted to know about. This app can over 600 flowers in its database and is free to use. There is also an ad-free pro version with additional features available for a small fee.

LeafSnap

A free mobile app that identifies tree species from photos of their leaves. It’s a well-reviewed app and stands out due to its beautiful, high-resolution images of leaves, fruit, flowers, seeds, bark, and more. LeafSnap includes trees of the Northeastern U.S. and Canada, but will soon include trees of the whole continental U.S.

Bonus Identifier Apps Worth Mentioning

• FlowerChecker – Instead of a computer, a team of expert botanists examine your photo and send back an identification.
• Plantix – Popular with gardeners and farmers, this app identifies plants, plant diseases, and various other plant problems.
• iNaturalist – For those who want insects, animals, and butterflies identified in addition to flowers, trees, and plants, this is the app to use.

With too many to mention, there are numerous free wildflower apps for nearly every region of North America. With all these cool apps, it’s time to go forth and start snapping!