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Plant ID - Beat the App

TimmyMagicTimmyMagic Posts: 135
in Plants
I know some people on here may take a dim view of plant ID apps and I've been skeptical myself. But for the past few weeks I've been using a free plant ID app for Android called 'PictureThis' and it has been very useful. It has correctly identified quite a few plants for me.

However, my neighbour has a very nice shrub and the app seems unable to identify it. Every time I take a photo it comes up with a different suggestion and I think they are wrong.

Here's what it has suggested so far:

Alpen Rose (Rhododendron)
Boxwood
Garden Thyme
Sea Spurge (Euphobia paralias)

Here are 2 photos of the shrub - which I'm told had pretty white flowers a while ago.

So, I'm interested to know if the experts here can beat the app!



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Posts

  • FireFire Posts: 17,403
    Hebe
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 86,175
    Hebe possibly H. albicans

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 86,175
    Snap! @Fire 😂 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • TimmyMagicTimmyMagic Posts: 135
    Well done. You two should start your own app!  :)
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 54,029
    I can't understand how any app couldn't ID that! It's a very common shrub  :D
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 86,175
    Absolutely @Fairygirl … even I knew immediately what it was, and as I’ve said on many occasions, identifying shrubs isn’t my forté 😂 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 54,029
    I'm wondering how, in particular,  it managed Thyme or that  Rhodo  ;)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • FireFire Posts: 17,403
    The PlantNet app is pretty good. Later app generations seem to be more accurate than the early ones.
  • TimmyMagicTimmyMagic Posts: 135
    I'm not sure how it came up with those suggestions. But they were based on close-up photos, so not the first photo that I posted above. The app prefers close-ups. I knew each suggestion was wrong so I took another photo, and so on. 

    I have a hebe in my garden, but with different (bigger) leaves. So I should have probably known what it was. I knew you guys would know!

    I'm very happy with the app I have though. I've used it quite a lot and tested it on plants I know too. This is the first time it has had a brain fart. It's free, so I can't grumble. 
  • ErgatesErgates Posts: 2,429
    I’d have thought the close up shot would have been definite confirmation that it was a hebe. Can’t see how it got a rhododendron from that.
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