What Plant Is This? How to Find Out in Seconds
The fastest way to name a plant is to photograph it. Snap a leaf or flower, scan it, and you'll have the most likely species, a few look-alikes to compare and a care guide in a few seconds. No photo handy? The clues below narrow it down by eye.
3 free web scans, no sign-up · More than 100,000 species
Three ways to identify a plant
- 1
Scan it in your browser
Upload or snap a photo in the free web plant scanner. You get the most likely species, how sure the match is, other possibilities and a link to its care guide. Three free scans, no sign-up.
Open the plant scanner → - 2
Use the PlantoScan app
Unlimited scans on iPhone and Android, results with alternatives to compare, scan history, and one tap to add the plant to My Plants with water and fertilizer reminders.
About the plant identifier app → - 3
Look it up by name or features
Already have a guess, or a name from a label? Search PlantoScan's plant database by common or scientific name and filter by light, toxicity or native country.
Search the plant lookup →
Take a photo that gets a clear answer
- Photograph the flower if there is one. Flowers are the most distinctive part of most plants, so a sharp shot of one bloom usually gives the clearest result.
- Then a single leaf, close up. Fill the frame with one leaf, top side, in focus. Add a second photo of the underside if it looks different.
- Show the whole plant for trees and shrubs. Overall shape helps with trees, plus a close-up of the bark, leaves and any fruit or cones.
- Use daylight, not flash. Even, natural light keeps colours true. Avoid strong shadows, backlight and dark rooms.
- One plant per photo. Move other plants, hands and busy backgrounds out of the frame so the scan focuses on the right one.
Identifying a plant by eye: the clues that matter
Botanists narrow a plant down with a few simple observations. Note these before you search, and you'll also be able to confirm or rule out a scan result yourself.
- Leaf arrangement
- Do leaves grow in pairs opposite each other, alternate up the stem, or in a ring (whorl)? It's one of the first questions in any plant key.
- Leaf shape and edge
- Note whether a leaf is simple or split into leaflets, and whether its edge is smooth, toothed or lobed.
- Flowers
- Count the petals and note the colour, size and how the flowers are grouped: single, in clusters, spikes or flat heads.
- Stem
- Square stems are a hallmark of the mint family. Note also whether the stem is woody or soft, hairy or smooth, and whether it climbs.
- Smell and sap
- Crushed leaves that smell of mint, lemon or onion narrow things down fast. Some plants have milky sap that can irritate skin, so wear gloves and wash your hands.
- Where it grows
- Indoors or out, sun or shade, wet or dry ground, and your region all cut the list of candidates.
Indoor plant, succulent or something in the garden?
Narrow it down with a guide for the kind of plant you're looking at: houseplant identifier, succulent identifier, or browse all plant care guides by category and genus. If the plant looks sick rather than unknown, see common plant problems.
Name every plant you meet
PlantoScan identifies plants from a photo with alternatives to compare, keeps every scan in your history, and adds plants to My Plants with water and fertilizer reminders. Sick plant? The plant doctor checks it from a photo. Free on iPhone and Android.
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Frequently asked questions
- How can I find out what plant this is from a picture?
- Upload the photo to PlantoScan's free web plant scanner or scan the plant with the PlantoScan app. Both use the same identification engine, which recognises more than 100,000 species and shows the most likely match along with other possibilities.
- Is plant identification free?
- The web scanner gives you three free scans in the browser without signing up. The PlantoScan app is free to download on iPhone and Android, and PlantoScan Premium unlocks extra features.
- What's the best photo for identifying a plant?
- A sharp, close-up photo of a flower, or of a single leaf if the plant isn't flowering, taken in daylight with only that plant in the frame. For trees, add a photo of the whole tree and the bark.
- Can it identify trees, flowers, succulents and weeds?
- Yes. PlantoScan covers houseplants, garden plants, trees, shrubs, succulents, cacti, wildflowers and common weeds.
- What if the plant might be a mushroom, or I want to eat it?
- PlantoScan can name many mushrooms and wild plants, but no photo identification, from any app, is reliable enough to decide whether something is safe to eat. Never eat a wild mushroom or plant based on an app; have it checked in person by a qualified expert.
- Is this plant safe for my cat or dog?
- Once you know the plant's name, its PlantoScan care guide shows its pet toxicity, and our lists of toxic plants for cats and for dogs show what the ASPCA reports. If your pet ate a plant, contact your vet or animal poison control.