Plant identifier and health check
Plant identifier: name a plant from a photo and see what is wrong
The plant identifier names your houseplant, garden plant or weed from one photo, checks the leaves for signs of trouble, and gives a care plan for the weeks ahead.
The result
What is this plant? What the plant identifier tells you
One photo, one report. Everything in it is based on the photo you take and where the plant grows.
Its common and scientific name and species, with how sure the match is, and the look-alikes it is most often taken for.
Whether the photo shows signs of trouble: yellowing, spots, wilting, pests or fungus. When it shows none, the report says the plant looks healthy.
Watering, light, nutrients, pests or disease, ranked by how sure the check is, with the signs in your photo that point to each.
Detailed plant care for today and the weeks ahead: how much to water, where to move it, and when to prune or repot.
A short checklist of what to look at again, and when a fresh photo helps.
Whether it may be poison ivy or another plant to keep from children and pets, with who to call. A photo never decides that a plant is safe.
- No warning sign seen
- Check before touching
- Keep from pets and children
Method
How to identify a plant with the plant identifier
- 01
Take one clear photo
The whole plant, or the leaves that look wrong, in daylight. Take it now or choose an image from your gallery.
- 02
Say where it grows
Indoors by a window, a garden bed, a pot on the balcony, and the town or region. Care depends on where a plant grows.
- 03
Get the name and the health check
The plant identifier names the species, shows how sure the match is, and says whether the photo shows signs of trouble.
- 04
Follow the care plan
The likely causes, ranked, and what to do first. Check again with a new photo after a week or two to see whether it is working.
Reference
What is wrong with my plant? Start with what you see
Most houseplant problems come from care and conditions in the home, not from pests. Match what you see, then check the soil and the light first.
| What you see | Common causes |
|---|---|
| Brown leaf tips or leaf edges | Too much fertilizer or salt in the soil, soil too dry or too wet, sun or heat through a window, low humidity, a draft |
| Weak growth, light green to yellow leaves | Too little nutrient (usually nitrogen), root rot, too much or too little light, sap-sucking insects or mites |
| Yellow leaves that drop | Too little light, cold, too much water, poor drainage, or pests or disease in the soil |
| Wilting | Too little water or too much light; also rotting roots, often from too much water or poor drainage |
| Long, leggy stems | Too little light |
| A soft stem base, soggy soil | Too much water, or a pot that does not drain |
| Leaf drop, sudden wilting | Weak roots, compacted soil or a pot-bound plant, or a sudden change of light, temperature or humidity |
| Yellow leaves with tiny speckles, later bronze, webbing near the tips | Spider mites |
- What you see
- Brown leaf tips or leaf edges
- Too much fertilizer or salt in the soil, soil too dry or too wet, sun or heat through a window, low humidity, a draft
- What you see
- Weak growth, light green to yellow leaves
- Too little nutrient (usually nitrogen), root rot, too much or too little light, sap-sucking insects or mites
- What you see
- Yellow leaves that drop
- Too little light, cold, too much water, poor drainage, or pests or disease in the soil
- What you see
- Wilting
- Too little water or too much light; also rotting roots, often from too much water or poor drainage
- What you see
- Long, leggy stems
- Too little light
- What you see
- A soft stem base, soggy soil
- Too much water, or a pot that does not drain
- What you see
- Leaf drop, sudden wilting
- Weak roots, compacted soil or a pot-bound plant, or a sudden change of light, temperature or humidity
- What you see
- Yellow leaves with tiny speckles, later bronze, webbing near the tips
- Spider mites
Several causes look alike. When a plant wilts, look at the roots: brown, soft roots point to root trouble.
Source: UC IPM (Houseplant Problems), as of
Reference
Identify plant disease, or a care problem?
Not every sick plant has a disease. Extension specialists sort a problem first by whether something living causes it.
- A living (biotic) cause
- A pathogen such as a fungus. It usually spreads through the plant and from plant to plant as it reproduces.
- A nonliving (abiotic) cause
- Soil, weather, light or care. It tends not to spread that way.
- A sign
- The pathogen itself, visible on the plant: masses of powdery mildew spores, for example.
- A symptom
- How the plant changes in response, such as wilting or yellowing (chlorosis).
- Many kinds of plants at once
- When plants of many different families show the same problem, a nonliving cause is more likely.
- Care mistakes
- Too much fertilizer or water causes problems as often as too little.
Source: Penn State Extension (Diagnosing a Plant Problem 101), as of
Photos
How to take a photo for the plant identifier
The plant identifier works from what the photo shows, so show the parts that tell plants apart and the parts that look wrong.
Do
Use daylight
Near a window or outdoors, out of harsh sun, so the true colour of the leaves shows.
Show leaves and stem
A leaf in sharp focus with the stem it grows from: how the leaves sit on the stem is a strong clue.
Add a flower or fruit
If the plant has one, keep it in the frame: a flower or fruit is another clue to its name.
Show the problem up close
For a sick plant, fill the frame with the worst leaves; spider mites sit on the undersides.
Don't
No flash
Daylight shows the true colour of the leaves better than a flash.
Not blurry or far away
A plant lost in a busy background is hard to name correctly.
Do not touch unknown vines
If it may be poison ivy, take the photo without touching the plant.
Source: University of Arkansas Plant Health Clinic (the whole plant and close-ups of the affected leaves)
Reference
What does poison ivy look like? A plant to know before you touch it
Poison ivy, poison oak and poison sumac release an oil, urushiol, that, says the CDC, gives an allergic skin rash (contact dermatitis) to most of those whose skin it touches. The [poison ivy checker](/is-this-poison-ivy) goes further.
- Leaves of three
"Leaves of three, let it be" helps with poison ivy and poison oak, but not with poison sumac. Some poison ivy and poison oak have more than three leaves.
- Eastern poison ivy
Usually a hairy, ropelike vine with three shiny green leaves on one small stem; the leaves may turn red in the fall.
- Leaf edges
The edges of the three leaflets can be smooth, wavy, lobed or toothed, and some leaves look like oak leaves.
- Virginia creeper
Grows like poison ivy, on the ground and up trees, but its leaves come in groups of five.
Source: CDC/NIOSH (Poisonous Plants); Clemson HGIC (How to Identify and Control Poison Ivy), as of
Is this plant poisonous to a child or a pet? Call, do not wait
A photo cannot decide that a plant is safe. If a child ate part of a plant, call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222 (free, expert advice, any time). If a pet chewed one, call your vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control line at (888) 426-4435.
Scope
What the plant identifier can and cannot tell from a photo
A photo can show
- Houseplants, garden plants, flowers, succulents, cactus and weeds, down to the species when the photo shows enough
- How sure the match is, and the look-alikes to rule out
- Signs of trouble the photo shows: yellowing, spots, wilting, pests, fungus
- The likely causes, ranked, and a care plan for the weeks ahead
- A flag for poison ivy and plants to keep from children and pets
Only an expert with it in hand can tell
- Roots and rot below the soil: ease the plant out of its pot to look
- A lab test of a sample: an extension office or plant clinic can run one
- Whether a plant is safe to touch, eat or keep near a pet
A name is the first step. The plant identifier goes on to what is wrong and what to do about it, one step at a time. Run it again with a new photo in a week or two.
Next
After the plant identifier: when to ask an expert
The care plan covers most problems at home. Some need a person with the plant in hand.
- 01
Take a sample to your extension office
Extension specialists say it is always best to check a diagnosis with a sample at your local extension office or plant diagnostic clinic.
Penn State Extension - 02
Bring photos and notes
An overall photo of the plant where it grows, close-ups of the damage, when it started and how it is changing, and the light, drainage and any recent fertilizer or spray.
An example clinic - 03
When the plant is too far gone
Some houseplants cannot be saved once a problem has gone too far; it may be better to discard the plant and start again with a healthy one.
- 04
A pet chewed a plant
Call your vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control line at (888) 426-4435 now. Its list of plants toxic to dogs, cats and horses helps afterwards; it is not all-inclusive.
ASPCA plant list
Free plant identifier online: no app, no account
The plant identifier runs in your browser on a phone, an Android or iPhone, or a computer, so there is nothing to install. Trying the form here is free: no card, no account and no trial, so there is nothing to cancel.
Limits
What a plant photo cannot settle
The plant identifier gives the most likely name and cause, not a certainty: several plants and several problems look alike. A photo never decides that a plant is safe to touch, eat or keep near children or pets. For a valuable plant or a problem that spreads, ask your local extension office.
FAQ
Plant identifier: frequently asked questions
Is there a completely free plant identifier?
Trying this plant identifier here is free: no card, no account and no trial. Upload one photo and it names the plant and checks it for signs of trouble.
Can I identify a plant online using a picture for free?
Yes. Take a photo or choose one from your gallery, say where the plant grows, and the plant identifier names it online, in your browser.
Can I identify a plant online without an app?
Yes. The plant identifier runs in the browser on a phone or a computer. It needs an internet connection, not an app download.
How to identify plants with Google?
Google Lens can suggest a name from a photo. The plant identifier starts with the name too, then adds the health check, the likely causes and a care plan for where the plant grows.
Which plant identifier app is most accurate?
We do not rank other apps. What helps any identifier is a clear photo: one leaf and its stem in sharp focus, and a flower if there is one. This one shows how sure the match is, and the look-alikes, so you can check them yourself.
Why does my plant app keep telling me healthy plants are unhealthy?
The health check names the sign it sees in your photo for every cause it lists, so you can find it on the plant yourself. When the photo shows no sign of trouble, the report says so.
What is wrong with my plant and how do I fix it?
Upload a photo of the leaves that look wrong. The plant identifier ranks the likely causes, such as watering, light, nutrients, pests or disease, and gives the steps to fix the first one.
Is there a free app to scan plant disease?
The plant identifier scans the photo for signs of disease and pests as part of the same check, in the browser. Trying it here is free.
Can I get a free diagnosis for my plant online?
Trying the form is free. For a sample in the hand, many university extension services run plant clinics through a county office.
Is this a plant sickness identifier too?
Yes. The plant sickness check is part of every report: the signs in your photo, the likely causes ranked, and when to ask an expert.
Why are there yellow leaves on my tomato plants?
Where the yellow starts helps. Older leaves first, then newer ones, points to too little nitrogen; lower leaves with spots point to a leaf fungus such as early blight or Septoria leaf spot; lower leaves yellowing with wilting stems can mean Fusarium or Verticillium wilt (University of Maryland Extension).
What causes fiddle leaf fig leaf drop?
For houseplants, UC IPM links leaf drop and sudden wilting to weak roots from too much or too little water, too much fertilizer or salt, root disease, compacted soil or a pot-bound plant, and a sudden change of light, temperature or humidity, such as a move. Photograph the plant and the bare stems.
What is wrong with my gardenia plant?
The same check works for gardenias and other flowering shrubs: photograph the leaves that look wrong and say where it grows, and the plant identifier ranks the likely causes.
Can I use it as a succulent plant identifier, for cactus too?
Yes. Succulents and cactus are plants like any other here. Photograph the rosette from above, or from the side if it grows tall, in daylight.
Does houseplant leaf identification work from one leaf?
Often, if the leaf is sharp and shows its edge and veins. A photo with the stem, or the whole plant, helps when two houseplants look alike.
Can it tell weeds that look like squash plants from the real squash?
Photograph a seedling with its leaves in sharp focus: the plant identifier names the most likely plant and lists the look-alikes to check.
How to identify a poison ivy plant, and what looks like it?
Look for three leaflets on one stem, edges smooth, wavy, lobed or toothed, and hairy vines on trees. Virginia creeper looks similar but has five leaflets (Clemson HGIC). The poison ivy checker is made for this question.
Is identifying a poison ivy plant from a photo reliable?
A photo can point to poison ivy, but the CDC says its look varies with the species, the place and the season, and that look-alikes grow in the same areas. Treat any flag as a reason not to touch the plant.
Is this plant toxic to my cat?
The plant identifier can name the plant and flag it, but it does not decide that a plant is safe for a pet. Look the name up on the ASPCA list, and if your cat has eaten it, call your vet or the ASPCA poison line.
Can this tell me if my plant is poisonous to kids or pets?
It flags plants to keep from children and pets. It never calls a plant safe. If a child ate part of a plant, call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222.
How to take a good picture?
Daylight, no flash, a leaf in sharp focus with its stem, and a flower if the plant has one. For a sick plant, fill the frame with the worst leaves.
Why is my plant still not improving after following the recommendations?
Plants recover slowly, and some problems are hidden in the roots. A new photo gives a new report: run the check again after a week or two to see what has changed. If it keeps declining, take a sample to an extension office.
Is this really free, or will it ask me to pay after I upload a photo?
Trying the form here asks for no card, no account and no trial, so nothing renews and nothing needs cancelling.
A plant you cannot name, or one that looks unwell?
Take one clear photo of the plant or the worst leaves. The plant identifier names it and says what to do first.