Plant identification

SlavaOn

Jedi Master
I have various wild plants growing around my lot. Some of them I could identify, but many others not. I tried to search online by descriptive terms, use images.google.com etcetera with no success. Finally, I found a great iPhone app that for $1.99 will identify these mysterious plants for me. So far, I have determined that two of the most prolific plants growing all over the place are persicaria lapathifolia and perilla frutescenes. They latter one is edible and they both have medicinal uses...

The app is called Garden Answers.

SlavaOn
 
I just got the app. Let's see how well it does. Thanks for the recommendation!
 
Do make an extra check to see if the app got it right. I remember reading about an app developed by French botanists and an international team that sometimes would make a mistake here and there (though it was still in its infancy), but I thought I'd mention it just in case. Maybe having a little booklet with you as well with all the plants in it including the way to identify them can be helpful for the extra check :)
 
Actually, these were some botanical experts that work with that app who provided the answers. It is $1.99 in-app purchase that emails your request and then you get the reply by email as well. The app has some built in plants guide and other features for free, but it is the experts' advice that I found so useful. They were spot on identifying a first plant, the other one, that they pointed out, was very close - in the same family and I was able to find photos of the one that matches mine exactly.

It is truly amazing to get an answer from experts in that field within 24 hours! I wanted to know what plant it was for years, then I spent several hours last week trying to track it down myself... and failed.

I also have interest in identifying some mushrooms :) The 1st app I tried was Roger's Mushroom. I didn't buy their $4.99 Pro version yet. Did someone already have experience with identification of mushrooms, by any chance?

SlavaOn

Disclaimer. I am not associated with these apps in any way.
 
I used it twice today, got both plants very wrong:
Tobacco and spinach were the plants.
To be fair, it did ask for close-ups of blossoms. No blossoms on either, just leaves.
 
I sent them about 4 pictures of every plants - closeup of the leaves, flowers, some characteristic feature of the stem. I also described the smell.
Perilla Frutescenes:
perillo.JPG

Persicaria Lapathifolia:
presicaria.JPG


SlavaOn
 
Were you using the paid (expert) service or the auto-identifier?
 
Hi Slavaon, i have tried many of the free versions of plant specie id apps for Android and most of the misidentify the plants. Having the ability to email an expert sounds like it makes all of the difference.

In as far as mushrooms, I have used The Mushroom Identification Forum on Facebook. There are a number of expert mycologists who are very helpful. I was able to positively identify four edible species on our property last year, as well as one this year. Unfortunately, this year's find was a Domestic Inky Cap the flush in the morning and disintegrate into a blob of black goo by mid-day. I'll get 'em next time.

As a side note, mushrooms can be hard to id. Many poisonous species look like the good guys (kinda like humans, eh?) So, extra caution and a good guide book are a must. Not to mention a pinch of bravado ;D
 
Even though this thread is a couple of years old, I think that mushrooms will play a pretty big role in the future of humans. Identifying them and working with them, cultivating a deep relationship with them, may prove to be quite beneficial. For food, medicine, ecological remediation, and etc. etc. they will be key if things get cold on the BBM in my opinion. Identifying them takes significant effort and I would be hesitant to rely on an "app" for anything more than a "ball-park" idea of what I was looking at.
I was introduced to mushroom picking by my father and grandfather when I was about four years old. I have studied them and learned how to grow a few species of gourmet edibles and some medicinal as well here at the house.

SlavaOn.......I'm half Slovak/Pole, If your name means what I think it does, I'm not surprised that you ask about mushrooms. 🍄
 
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