Build a plant record you can revisit with Pl@ntNet

A useful plant record gives you something to return to: the plant you saw, the features that interested you and the name you could support at the time. Start with one specimen that you can photograph closely, rather than trying to name everything on a walk.

Pl@ntNet offers a free Android or iOS app and a web interface. Create an account for the shared-observation route below; the final data export uses the web version. This walkthrough follows the current documentation. We have not run an identification for this article.[1]

For iPhone users, the UK App Store currently lists version 3.27.4 and requires iOS 15.1 or later. Install the app from your device’s store before heading out.[2]

Give the search the right plant

Check the flora selector at the top of the screen. A flora is a regional or thematic species list. Choose one appropriate to the plant’s location; with geolocation enabled, Pl@ntNet selects a geographic flora automatically. Check it particularly when working from older photographs taken elsewhere.[3]

1. In Identification, take or import clear photos of different organs on the same plant, such as its leaf and flower.
2. Select each image’s organ. Submit the photos and inspect the ranked species.
3. Compare candidate galleries and species sheets with your photographs before choosing a name.

For a first exercise, keep a wider photograph beside a close-up of a leaf and any available flower or fruit. This is a suggested observation exercise, not a tested identification. Look for something specific to compare: the leaf edge, the way leaves join the stem, or the flower’s shape. A second photograph earns its place when it reveals another feature.

Save the level of identification you can support

If uncertain, select a genus or leave the observation unnamed. Add the observation date and a useful note; location is optional. Share it for community review. An observation requires at least a photo and date.[5]

Write a note that will still make sense later: “Flower absent; return when it blooms” is more useful than “probably this one”. If none of the candidate images fits, keep the uncertainty and take another photograph of the missing feature. Do not replace an observation with a confident guess just to finish the entry.

Bring the record back out

Shared observations remain accessible through your account. Unshared mobile observations stay on that device: they do not appear on other devices and can be lost when you change phones. This route therefore uses a shared observation.[6]

In a browser, sign in to Pl@ntNet, open My data and choose Export as, then CSV or XLSX. Open the saved file and locate the observation you just made. On mobile, your history is under Profile; an existing identification can be revised through the observation’s Details → Enter species controls.[6]

Keep the export alongside your original photographs. Check that the date and identification in the downloaded record reflect the observation you intended to preserve. When you revisit the plant, those earlier images and notes give the next identification a starting point.

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