shazam for plants

If you’ve ever wondered about the names of the thousands of plants you spy on your daily amblings, you can now whip out your phone and identify them in a flash, thanks to PlantNet. The nifty, free app collects data from a large social network, which uploads pictures and information about plants. Visualisation software is built into the app and recognises many plant species, and is currently working on more than 4,100 species of greenery. Of course, with 400,000 plant species in the world, there are loads more plants to be documented (much like the plants themselves, the database is continually growing). So next time you come across a beautiful bloom or particularly fetching plant, open up PlantNet and see if you can identify the flora you’re eyeing off!