Written and edited by Tammy 20th August 2023
There are lots of reasons we might want to identify a plant.
It might be something you found growing in your garden and you're concerned is it a weed, or something worth keeping. You may have seen something you fell in love with in someone else's yard, or perhaps you're looking for plants based on their characteristics for a sandy, sunny hot spot in your yard.
Whether it's one of these reasons or something else, there are a few different options, so lets delve in and look at how to identify a plant.
Tip number 1
Try taking a small cutting of foliage, maybe even a flower, or a few different pics into your local garden centre for them to identify for you.
Tip number 2
Buy yourself a botanical field guide. You can pick one up from most leading bookstores or online for under $15. It's a simple pamphlet style reference tool complete with images and labels of every type of plant, correct foliage description terminology, and more, that will give you the knowledge to be able to correctly describe and narrow down what it is you're wanting to identify.
Tip number 3
Armed with your new botanical vocabulary, try searching the internet, or perhaps borrow some plant related books from your local library.
Tip number 4
Reach out to a plant group in your local area through social media, chances are someone might have either seen the plant too or may even have it growing in their own yard.
Tip number 5
There are some really helpful plant identification apps you can put on your phone too. My favourite is 'Picturethis'. The app utilises an internet data base to match up your image (the photo of the plant you've just taken) with the most likely match for the same plant. All the details will be there for the botanical name and common names for that plant, its origins, growing preferences, characteristics and more. It can also be used as a diagnostic tool for identifying what might be wrong with your plant, so it's a really handy app that I myself love and use.
Tip number 6
And if it's still proving to be a tricky one, there's the Australian National Botanical Gardens Herbarium. It's a wonderful resource jam packed full of information about almost every plant imaginable that just might help you identify what you're looking for. For a small fee you can even send them a sample. You'll find details and instructions on their website for the requirements for submitting a sample.
In time you'll begin to recognise similarities in the foliage or flowers of plants within the same family. That same type of flower of anything in the daisy (Asteraceae) family, or the seed pods and cute little hooded flowers of anything in the pea/bean (Faberaceae) family. Perhaps you'll notice the aromatics of the foliage of any plant in the Lamiaceae family, which includes your Salvia's, Sages, mints and lavenders.
Next time you're out for a walk or exploring, rub the leaves of a plant and see what it smells like, do you think there's a possibility it's in the pea/bean family or do you recognise the flower straight away and have a good idea that it's in the daisy family.
Armed with these few ideas, you'll be identifying plants left right and centre, like an expert in no time. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday, happy gardening! 😘🌸🌼
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