Is there a plant identification app that actually works?

[Melassa]

I have PlantSnap which is utter shite, tried 5 photos of mysterious plants and got totally random and incorrect identifications (as in giving me succulents when it is clear the plant is not). I then tried it on the plants I know and not one was identified correctly. So a 100% error rate, which in itself is pretty impressive I suppose.

My friend has a different app and hers is equally crap. Plus it seems there is no facility to filter geographical area which of course increases the unlikelihood of getting in right.

Does anyone have any suggestions for an app that is more accurate?

So, can anyone tell me what this is? Not a succulent.

I have Plant Net, which seems pretty good.

Is it a type of snapdragon?

No idea. The app said it was a succulent. I have snapdragons elsewhere and their leaves are narrower.

PlantNet my friend has, it seems to vegoid with trees or if there is a flower but useless for smaller plants if only leaves. However, it can’t be worse than Plansnap so maybe I will give it a go.

Have you just tried using Google lens? It gives a range of options.

@Talipesmum

Have you just tried using Google lens? It gives a range of options.

Google lens? Let me look it up.

I use Seek that seems pretty good from my limited knowledge. I've only just started gardening.

I use an app called PictureThis. You have to pay for it, but it's quite good.

I’ve always been ok with plant snap. Is it getting confused by the other plant in the picture?

@Toloveandtowork

I use an app called PictureThis. You have to pay for it, but it's quite good.

That's the one I use. It is good, but not free.

@KittyKel

Is it a type of snapdragon?

That's what I thought.

I use LeafSnap which is usually pretty good, but that photo seems to have it puzzled.

I find that sometimes it helps to take photos from different angles and in different lights.

It's Feb - where was it growing??
The leaves have a purplish tinge at the edges - bugle? but bugle is a ground covering plant.

Bugle

On my.phone I can click the photo, then press and hold it and it offers "Search with google lens" so I did.

A range of pictures came up, this one seemed closest:

naturesherbfarms.com/amethyst-basil/

The best app IME is MN, this Gardening board.

I have PictureThis and it's identifying it as snapdragon.

Here are the 3 things it's suggesting, but snapdragon was its first ID.

I'd also have gone with snapdragon. I use Google lens usually for this sort of thing - you just download the Google app and then click on the little camera in the search bar to take a photo and search.

@Polyanthus2

It's Feb - where was it growing?? The leaves have a purplish tinge at the edges - bugle? but bugle is a ground covering plant.

It’s Feb but warming up already where I am (Northern Italy). It’s in a pot on the balcony, I sprinkled some seeds in the soil randomly in the autumn then promptly forgot about it. I’ve a few things coming up in the same pot, but that was by far the most vigorous.

Those saying snapdragon, it think you may be right. The others I have are all narrow leaved, but I’ve just spotted an open packet of seeds with a purple variety which has chubbier leaves.

MN is much better than any plant app, agreed!

I it’s not bugle. I was going to say not basil in a uk winter but N Italy changes things.

With any plant app, you need to treat it as a suggestion, not an answer. They’re not programmed to say “I don’t know” or “could you give me a close up of the leaves?” . They give their best guess, or three best guesses, even ifall are completely wrong