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Identification aids

Who hasn’t experienced this: sometimes identifying a plant is a real struggle. Then you’re glad to get a little help, take a look at another identification key or get a second opinion. Sometimes the detail you need to observe is simply too small for the naked eye, and a magnifying aid is needed. On this page you’ll find InfoFlora’s ‘Identification aids’ brochures, our AI-powered identification tool, FlorID, an explanation of the identification aid in FlorApp, a selection of helpful floras and websites, as well as a comparison of different magnification aids.

 

 

Identification aids by InfoFlora

As part of an irregular series, InfoFlora produces handy little identification guides as an annual gift for people who share their botanical findings. The booklets can be downloaded here as PDF files.

 

Identification guide N°3: Grass genera

Grasses have a reputation for being difficult to identify: keying out the genus often leads you astray, because of small, variable characteristics. This identification guide serves as a starting point for beginners working through the genus key, and as a quick refresher for experienced botanists. It covers almost all genera that occur consistently in Switzerland, arranged by inflorescence: spikes, panicles and everything in between.

 

Cover Identification guide 3

 

 

Identification guide N°2: Aquatic plants & Co.

If you’ve been fishing around in the dark when it comes to identifying aquatic plants, here’s an easy way in: this guide sorts stoneworts and vascular plants by growth form, giving you an overview at genus level – a stepping stone to the standard identification keys. Ideal for anyone who, while out botanising, also dares to take a look in the water.

 

Cover Identification guide 2

 

 

Identification guide N°1: Gentians

Gentians are familiar to many people – above all the large-flowered, blue mountain species. Yet the genus is far more diverse in Switzerland, with around 30 species ranging from the tiny annual to the marsh-dweller. This identification guide shows how to tell these varied forms apart using their typical bell-shaped, fused flowers.

 

Cover Identification guide 1

Further identification aids

In addition to the brochure series, we provide individual identification aids for difficult genera, prepared by staff members and specialists from the InfoFlora network:

 

The wild roses of Switzerland

The genus Rosa is considered difficult: the characteristics overlap strongly and vary within a group. The article introduces the genus and explains the characteristics useful for distinguishing between species. The accompanying characteristics table compares the groups and their features. Reliable identification generally requires leaflets, prickles and fruits.

Die Wildrosen der Schweiz, PDF (DE, FR)

Christophe Bornand, InfoFlora. First published in: info flora plus 2015, pp. 21–24.

Identification aid in FlorApp

Since version 3.0, an identification tool has been integrated directly into FlorApp. If a photo is uploaded and you're connected to the internet, FlorID can be consulted. But even without a photo and internet connection, there is a little help: if you already have an initial suspicion about the identity of a species, you can display a list of species that are often confused with the suspected species.

 

 

FlorID

FlorID is a free plant identification tool for Swiss species. The tool is the result of the COMECO project, a collaboration between InfoFlora and the WSL (Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research). The tool identifies plants from uoploaded photos. In FlorApp, the tool also takes into account the location and the date of the observation. This way, the probability (by ecology and known distribution) that a certain species occurs at that location and is in that (phenological) state at that date is taken into account. The result of the analysis is a list of species, each with an associated percentage value. This value represents a confidence value. As a rule of thumb, a low confidence value indicates an uncertain identification, whereas a high confidence value is no guarantee for a correct identification.

Image UploadResults

FlorID is based on artificial intelligence. It is a so-called “classifier”, which is an algorithm (a manual for computers) that classifies data into predefined categories. In the case of FlorID, the data are photos and the categories are plant species. For the classification, the algorithm takes into account different layers of information. FlorID uses the entered images, the location and the date of the observation as layers.

Before it can be applied, a classifier has to be “trained”. By means of the pre-classified training data entered, the algorithm “learns” how to classify future input data. The FlorID classifier was trained with millions of quality-checked images from Citizen Scientists and Experts. In addition, the distribution of species was modelled using even more geolocated observations. This model in turn was also used for the training of FlorID. You can think of it as a small child learning through experience to categorise dogs and fish. And that if something flies, it is probably a bird rather than a fish. (Since these kinds of classifiers are modelled on the human brain, they are also called “artificial neural networks”).

When you now enter photos, FlorID compares the new image material with the photos used as training data. It also takes into account the probability that a species occurs at a certain location and is in a certain (phenological) state at a certain time of year. These three layers of information are then calculated into a confidence score and the species with the highest confidence scores are listed as the result.

The focus of FlorID is on naturally occurring species. With over 2500 taxa, it can distinguish a large proportion of the wild plant species of the Swiss flora, including a large list of alien species that are commonly found in nature. However, the tool is not designed to identify ornamental plants that do not disperse in the wild. Thus, no correct identification can be expected for cultivated or garden plants.

Currently, plants are identified at the species or species aggregate level. Subspecies are therefore not yet taken into account.

In contrast to other image recognition tools, FlorID takes into account not only the images entered but also the location and date of the observation. Furthermore, the accuracy also benefits from being limited to the Swiss wild flora.

FlorID has only been trained to detect species that occur in the wild in Switzerland. It can therefore only recognise these species. If a photo of another species is entered, the Swiss species most similar to it is presented as the most probable.

It is also essential to understand that FlorID does not compare individual features, but only the entirety of the pixels of an image. Thus, it does not see inferior ovaries or opposite leaves and therefore cannot systematically restrict to a family or genus as we humans are able to.

  • Always question the result critically: does it make sense? is it probable?
  • A low confidence value indicates an uncertain identification but a high confidence value is no guarantee for a correct identification.
  • More and better photos may improve the result

Literature

An (incomplete) selection of floras that may help:

 

Switzerland

  • Flora Helvetica, Illustrierte Flora der Schweiz, 7th edn (Lauber et al. 2024)
  • Flora Helvetica, Exkursionsflora, 2nd edn (Eggenberg et al. 2022)
  • The ‘Binz’: Schul- und Exkursionsflora für die Schweiz, 20th edn (Lenzin & Heitz-Weniger 2022); Le nouveau Binz (Aeschimann & Burdet 2003)
  • Flora der Schweiz und angrenzender Gebiete, 2nd edn, 3 volumes (Hess et al. 1976–1980)
  • Flora Vegetativa, 4th edn (Eggenberg & Möhl 2020)

 

Neighbouring countries, the Alps

  • Flora Gallica (Tison & Foucault 2014)
  • Rothmaler, Exkursionsflora von Deutschland, main volume, 22nd edn (Müller et al. [eds] 2021); plus the atlas volume and the critical supplementary volume
  • Flora Germanica, 3 volumes (Hassler & Muer 2022–2024)
  • Exkursionsflora für Österreich, Liechtenstein und Südtirol, 3rd edn (Fischer et al. 2008)
  • Flora d’Italia, 2nd edn (Pignatti et al. 2017–2019); the 1st edn (Pignatti 1982) remains relevant for its illustrations and maps
  • Flora Alpina (Aeschimann et al. 2004)
  • Online-Exkursionsflora der Alpen und angrenzender Gebiete (Götz, continuously updated)

 

The rest of Europe

  • The ‘Lambinon’: Nouvelle Flore de la Belgique, du Grand-Duché de Luxembourg, du nord de la France et des régions voisines, 7th edn (Verloove & Van Rossum 2024)
  • Flora Iberica (also available online)
  • Gustav Hegi, Illustrierte Flora von Mitteleuropa, 3rd edn (Conert et al. [eds] 1979–1992)
  • Nordens flora (Mossberg & Stenberg 2018)

 

Ornamental plants and plants with potential for naturalisation

  • Rothmaler volume 5: Krautige Zier- und Nutzpflanzen (Jäger et al. [eds] 2007)
  • Flora der Gehölze, 5th edn (Roloff & Bärtels 2018)
  • New Flora of the British Isles, 4th edn (Stace 2019)
  • Flora of North America (online version)

 

 

Online Resources

An (incomplete) selection of websites that might be helpful:

Hand lens, binocular microscope, microscope & Co.

How do you equip yourself to see details too small for the naked eye? At what cost, and with what result? In the FloraCH article from autumn 2022, the results of several magnification aids were presented using three concrete examples – you’ll also find here some useful additions on the devices tested and on the focus-stacking technique:

If you’re thinking about buying a binocular microscope (stereomicroscope) to identify stoneworts and other species at home that are barely identifiable in the field with a hand lens, you might ask yourself the following questions, for example:

  • How much space do I have available? Do I want a simple model I can put away in seconds, or do I have a table where the microscope can stay permanently set up?
  • Do I want to be able to lay a herbarium specimen flat under the microscope, or does it not matter to me that the microscope has a base?
  • Do I only want to be able to identify the plant or stonewort? Or would I also like to be able to take usable-quality photos through the lens with my smartphone, showing the identification details?
  • What kind of light source do I need?


What does a usable binocular microscope cost?
For reliable identification, a fairly simple microscope for around CHF 150–200 with a maximum magnification of at least 40× is usually enough. You’ll likely get much more enjoyment, though, from a model in the price range from around CHF 300 upwards, because the optics are noticeably better and you can take usable-quality photos of identification details (for example with a smartphone through the eyepiece). There’s no upper price limit; as a rule, the more expensive, the better the optics. Very expensive models usually also allow stepless adjustment of the magnification.

Incident or transmitted light?
In our experience, whether you have a light source from below (“transmitted light”) in addition to one from above (“incident light”) mostly makes little difference. What matters far more is how good the microscope’s optics are. If the microscope has no built-in light source, external side lighting with spotlights also works very well – it just needs a bit more space and setup time.

Tips for taking photos through the microscope
In our experience, you don’t need expensive special equipment to take usable photos with recognisable identification details through the microscope. If the microscope has sufficiently good optics (from around CHF 300 upwards), you can photograph directly through the eyepiece with a smartphone.
With smartphones that have several lenses, the device may fail to focus properly because it switches between lenses. If it isn’t possible to fix one lens via the smartphone settings, the unused lenses can be temporarily covered with black paper.

Close-up of the spikelets of Eleocharis palustrisEleocharis palustris, winning photo of the ‘Anno nano 2022’ photo competition © Yann Fragnière