Have you ever looked at a flower or plant and wondered, "What flower is this?", or "What kind of plant is this?". Fortunately, it's now possible to identify a flower by a picture. You just have to use a flower identification app to get the answer.
Of the available apps, few are as successful as Microsoft's Bing and the Google plant identifier, Google Lens. In addition to identifying flowers and plants, these apps can also identify products, books, and, in Google Lens's case, even places.
Here's how to identify plants with Google and Bing. We'll also give you a few additional plant identification apps to try out if you're trying to name that plant.
1. Identify Plants With Bing Search
3 ImagesWhile you might dismiss the Bing plant identifier as inferior to the Google plant identifier, the Bing mobile app is actually great for identifying flora. What's more, Bing can help you identify plants by picture, online, and for free! To use Bing as a flower identifier online, simply head over to the Bing search engine, or alternatively, use the Bing Search app.
When you first open the Bing Search app, you'll see a search bar at the top with a camera and a mic button nearby. To use Bing as a plant identifier:
- Tap the camera icon to open up the camera search function.
- If you're doing this for the first time, you'll need to grant the app permission to access your camera. Tap OK on iOS, or While Using the App/Only This Time on Android.
- Point your camera at the flower or item that you want to identify and take a photo of it. If you prefer, you can also pull up a picture from your camera roll.
- Once you take a photo, Bing will scan the image and provide you with three possible search results, including accompanying images. It will also display similar images.
Download: Microsoft Bing Search for Android | iOS (Free)
2. Identify Plants With Google Lens
3 ImagesCan Google identify plants from a picture? Yes, it can! Well, Google Lens' plant identification can.
Google Lens is available as a standalone app for Android users. Meanwhile, iPhone owners get Google Lens bundled as part of the Google Photos app. The dedicated Google Lens is far simpler to use. When you open the app, your entire phone screen becomes a camera lens.
Here's how to identify a plant with Google Lens:
- Tap Search with your camera when you want to take a picture of an item.
- Tap Open camera and give Google Lens permission to access your camera.
- Point your camera to a plant or flower you want to identify, then tap the large shutter button to search.
- Once you take a picture, Google Lens will display one main result for that item, accompanied by a photo, a list of related content, and similar images.
- Tapping on the main photo will take you to a Google search page with a description of the plant. If you tap the Search button instead, Google will show you a search results page with the resultant plan name as the keyword.
If you're using Google Photos for iPhone as a flower identifier:
- Take a picture with your regular camera, then open up that picture in the Google Photos app.
- Next, tap on the Google Lens button at the bottom of the screen. It will tell you what kind of flower this is within seconds.
Download: Google Lens for Android (Free)
Download: Google Photos for iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)
Is Bing Search or Google Lens Better?
Before moving into the other available apps, let's consider whether Microsoft Bing or Google Lens is better for plant identification by photo.
If you judge purely on how the app successfully identifies flowers, then Google Lens just ekes out Bing. Both apps failed multiple times to identify certain plants and flowers, but both also successfully identified distinct flowers like the hydrangea as well as the lesser-known lantana.
They also both identified petunia and mint. However, with the Bing results, these were identified through a similar photo, rather than the Bing app suggesting it as one of its three main options.
Google Lens distinguishes itself by making its identifications slightly faster than Bing. Plus, the more you use the app, the more you're contributing to Google's AI identification skills. There's plenty more you can do with Google Lens, too, including pulling the contact information from business cards and identifying unusual foods.
The one way in which Bing is better than Google Lens is that it provides you with more image results. So if it doesn't correctly identify the plant, there's a chance it will offer up an image that allows you to figure out what plant you're looking at.
Now that we've run through which is better, let's briefly touch on some other apps you can use to identify plants. Don't forget about other apps to identify anything else using your phone's camera.
3. PictureThis
3 ImagesPictureThis is a plant-identifying app with both free and premium versions. It's one of the most downloaded plant and flower identification apps available, and for a good reason.
Easy to use, simple to navigate, and possessing excellent search results, this app proved during testing that it could identify flowers and all of the plants in each photo we took. It also helped us figure out what kind of plant something was when the other two apps failed.
Some aspects to note:
- Every picture you take with the app is stored in your My Plants section. You can easily access this information again if you needed. You have the liberty to create a custom collection based on plant types, including flowers, leaf plants, vegetables, weeds, and more.
- There is a community of plant enthusiasts on the app to connect with. You can like and comment on pictures or share them.
- By turning on Location Services with this app, PictureThis can "show the plants you identified and help you find nearby flowers." These flowers are then pinned on the map. You can see nearby plants identified by other users, too.
The premium version allows you to identify plants without any limits, get plant care guides, and have the ability to ask experts about any issues you might have with your plants. It also lets you use the app without any ads or interruptions. Even with the limited free version of PictureThis, however, you can still get a lot out of the service.
Download: PictureThis for Android | iOS (Free, subscription available)
4. Plant Identification ++
3 ImagesPlant Identification ++ is another plant identifier app that's free to use with an optional premium subscription. However, the free version still works fine if all you're hoping to do is identify plants quickly and easily.
When you open the app, take a picture of a plant or pull up a picture from your photo album. Once you take a photo, the app searches its database and displays possible results.
We found these search results to be overwhelmingly accurate. Additionally, when you tap on the results, Plant Identification ++ locates the plant's information page on Wikipedia.
Other features that you should know about:
- Once you take a picture of a plant with the app, that picture ends up in your My Collections section.
- If you subscribe to the premium version of Plant Identification ++, you gain the ability to get unlimited identification tools and health assessments for your plants.
Essentially, this app is simple to use and low-stress. It's perfect for plant enthusiasts who don't want to connect with others on social media. The major downside is that it shows too many ads for its premium subscription, plus it's only available for iPhone.
Download: Plant Identification ++ for iOS (Free, subscription available)
5. NatureID
3 ImagesLike the other apps on this list, NatureID allows you to explore the world around you. With the option to jump straight into a premium plan after a three-day trial or continue with the limited free version, NatureID has a solution for everyone. It's perfect for both power users and occasional enthusiasts.
When you identify a flower by picture, NatureID pulls up an ID card on it. On this card, you'll see:
- The name of the plant
- Its taxonomy
- A list of subspecies
- Cultivation and practical uses for the plant
- Additional information and sections (when appropriate), such as Symbolism and Folklore
This last section is particularly interesting. With Symbolism and Folklore, for example, the app talks about what the flowers or plants have meant historically and what they symbolize now. Plus, NatureID shows the health of your plants and allows you to set Care Reminders, so you don't forget to take care of them.
Download: NatureID for Android | iOS (Free, subscription available)
Identify Plants With These Green Thumb Apps
With these great apps, you'll be able to identify virtually any flower or plant from a picture. Identifying plants can be a lot of fun once you get started, and the best part about these apps is that if you use them often enough, you'll begin to identify shrubs, flowers, and plants on your own.
Gone are the days when you have to send someone a photo just to ask them, "What plant is this?"
