How to Use Your iPhone Camera to Identify Plants & Flowers

Photos App

Take a photo of the plant in question. Make sure to get as much of the plant in the photo as you can. Try to avoid other plants being in the background of the picture, if possible. You can do this on any photo, including photos sent to you by other people or photos you've previously taken, as well. You must be on iOS 15 or later to use Visual Look Up.

Tap on the photo you just took. In the lower-left corner of your Camera app, you can access your Camera Roll. Tap this image to view your recently snapped image. If you want to identify a plant from a photo someone sent you, open the photo by tapping on it and then tap the download button in the bottom-right corner. It looks like an arrow going into a square. You will then be able to find the photo in your Camera Roll.

Look for the "i" button on the bottom of the screen and tap it. It's the middle button, between the favorite/heart button and the "Edit" button. If the "i" button has sparkles on it, that means Visual Look Up has identified something in your photo. Visual Look Up is only available in English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish.

Tap the "Look Up" button after tapping the "i" button. If Visual Look Up identifies a plant in your photo, there will be a leaf icon and it will say "Look Up – Plant."

Tap on one of the Siri Knowledge results to learn more. You can view more information about the plant right in your photos app, and Siri Knowledge will provide web links for more information about the identified plant.

Planta

Download Planta to identify plants and help you take care of them. Planta is a free app that can not only identify plants for you, but help you keep those plants alive if you choose to grow them. While many of Planta's features are free, you can subscribe to get all of the premium features for $35.99/year. Planta is available on the App Store.

Open Planta and tap Get Started With Planta. Planta will ask you some questions about you and your plants. You'll have to complete this introductory survey before you can start using the app's features. Planta will ask things like if you grow indoor or outdoor plants, your plant care skill level, and your location. You can skip adding a location, but you won't get location-specific plant-care tips as a result.

Create a Planta account when prompted. You can skip this by tapping the Skip for now button, if you prefer.

Tap the magnifying glass at the bottom of the screen. It's in the bottom bar in the middle, between the plant icon and the stethoscope icon.

Tap the green Scan plant button. Planta will prompt you to take a photo of the plant. If you have a photo saved, tap the photo icon in the lower-right corner. Then, select the plant photo you want to identify.

Tap Use to identify the plant. Planta will make a few suggestions, with the most likely answer at the top. You can tap on any of the results to learn more about them. Planta will also let you know if a plant is recommended for you based on your skill level that you selected during the intro survey.

Pl@ntNet

Download Pl@ntNet to identify plants from all over the world. Pl@ntNet is an app that lets you identify plants with photos while also contributing to botany and ecology research advancement. Pl@ntNet describes itself as a citizen science project, and has links to their various research papers, projects, and articles on their website. Pl@ntNet is available on the App Store, and also has a standalone website.

Open Pl@ntNet and select your flora. You can let Pl@ntNet automatically detect which flora group you should be using based on your GPS, or you can pick your location from a map. You can also pick from a list of special floras, such as "useful plants" or "weeds." You can also tap the Skip button at the bottom of the screen.

Sign up for an account. When you create a Pl@ntNet account, you can share your plant observations with the Pl@ntNet community. If you prefer not to sign up, you can tap the Skip button at the bottom of the screen.

Give Pl@ntNet access to your location, if desired. If you decide to not give location access, you can still use the app.

Tap the green button in the middle of the Pl@ntNet home screen to take a picture. The icon looks like a camera with a plant inside the lens. If you prefer to open a photo you have saved to your phone, tap the Gallery button instead on the left-hand side of the screen.

Tap the plant organ that is most prominently featured in your photo. You can select leaf, flower, fruit, bark, habitat, or other.

Tap the plant's name for more information. You can see other photos submitted by users, a map of locations where this plant has been found, common names for the plant, and external links to more resources about the plant.

Garden Answers

Download Garden Answers for plant identification and a helpful community. Garden Answers is an app that can help you identify plants and gives you access to a community of gardeners to help if you have questions. Most of the app is free, but you can purchase a premium plan for $3.99/year to remove ads. Garden Answers is available on the App Store.

Open Garden Answers. Garden Answers requires you to create an account before you can use the app. You can use your email to sign up, or you can connect your Apple account or Facebook to the app as your login.

Sign up for a Garden Answers account. Follow the on-screen steps to create your Garden Answers account. Garden Answers will ask for your plant caretaking skill level as well as permission to access your location. If you don't give Garden Answers location permissions, you'll have to enter your location manually when you use the app.

Tap Take a photo of your plant. It's the top-left button on the main home screen, and has an icon of a rose on the button.

Select whether you want to take a photo or use one from your gallery. You can take a brand new photo by tapping Take Photo or you can upload a photo from your Camera Roll by tapping Photo Album.

Adjust your photo so the plant is centered in the box. You can drag the photo with your finger to reposition it, and pinch two fingers on the screen to zoom in or out.

Tap the Details button on a result to learn more. If you're having trouble identifying your plant, tap the red Ask an Horticulturist button at the bottom of the screen. A plant expert will get back to you within 24 hours with an identification for your plant. Ask an Horticulturist is a paid service, and costs $1.99 per request.