Pl@ntNet

Pl@ntNet identifies plants from photos and lets you share observations for biodiversity research on web, Android and iOS.

AI Image Recognition

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Overview

Pl@ntNet is a citizen-science platform for identifying and inventorying plant species from photos. It combines a plant-recognition application with a community review process and a broader biodiversity data project.

The product is available on the web and on smartphones for Android and iOS. Users can submit plant photos, receive identification help, and, if they create an account, contribute observations that may be reviewed by the community and used to improve the AI model and public biodiversity datasets.

Core features

Photo-based plant identification

Identify plants from photos in the web app or mobile app by using image recognition to compare submitted images with the platform’s species database.

Web and mobile access

Use the service on both smartphone and browser, with explicit support for Android, iOS, and the web.

Community observation sharing

Create an account to share observations that can be reviewed by the community and contribute to the platform’s learning loop.

Community revision

Confirm a suggested species or propose a different determination when you have botanical knowledge, adding human review to the workflow.

Research-oriented data contribution

Contribute geolocated observations that may later support mapping and biodiversity research, with GPS data highlighted as important.

Periodic model retraining

Benefit from a model that is retrained regularly, described as roughly monthly, to incorporate new observations and revisions.

Typical use cases

Identify a plant from a photo
Take a picture of an unknown plant and use the web or mobile app to get an identification suggestion based on image recognition.
Contribute to citizen-science observation collection
Share your own observations from a created account so they can be reviewed by other users and potentially contribute to the AI model.
Review and revise observations
Confirm or correct a proposed species identification if you have botanical expertise, helping improve the quality of shared observations.
Support biodiversity research
Record geolocated plant sightings for biodiversity mapping and research projects that rely on public observation data.
Learn how to photograph plants effectively
Use the help pages on iOS or Android to learn how to capture better plant photos before submitting observations.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Lets users identify plants directly from photos without needing specialist software.
Combines automated identification with community review and expert-weighted revision.
Supports a participatory-science workflow where user observations can improve the model over time.
Available on both web and mobile platforms, which makes it accessible in the field or at a desk.
Publishes only higher-confidence observations, which helps keep the public database curated.

Cons

The site makes clear that the AI is not infallible, so results still need judgment and verification.
Only observations that meet quality and confidence thresholds are shared publicly, so not every submission becomes part of the research dataset.
The source does not present a pricing page with plan details; it only indicates that the platform is free and supported by donations.

FAQ

On which platforms can I use Pl@ntNet?

Pl@ntNet is available on the web and on smartphones, with versions for Android and iOS. The site also points users to specific guidance for iOS and Android in its usage help pages.

What kind of photos does Pl@ntNet need?

Pl@ntNet uses image recognition, so it works best with clear photos. The help page advises taking good-quality images and sharing several photos of the plant organs when possible.

How does community review work?

Users can share observations from a created account. Those observations may be reviewed by the community and, when they reach sufficient confidence, added to the public database and used to train the AI.

Is Pl@ntNet free to use?

The site presents Pl@ntNet as a free participatory science platform, supported by donations, with no advertising and no resale of data.

Are all observations published and used for research?

Not every observation is shared. The site notes that only observations with enough confidence and acceptable image quality are added to the public database, and GPS location is important for mapping species.

Quick Facts

Category: Citizen science / plant identification
Platforms: Web, Android, iOS
Primary users: People identifying plants and contributors to biodiversity observation
Source domain: plantnet.org
Pricing: Free to use; supported by donations
Data workflow: Photo upload, community review, AI retraining, public biodiversity datasets