Thought I'd run it through Google lens. It gave two suggestions - Pimelea prostrata and Hebe. Whilst it's obviously Hebe, Pimelea prostrata is not a bad guess, much better than the app suggestions. I guess if you compare the resources of Google against any app developer you can expect them to be well ahead even if it's not specialising in plant recognition. A big difference between human and computer recognition is context - Hebe is very common in the UK but the computer/app doesn't know that context and will compare to plants all over the world - even worse, it may be e.g. a US app and therefore only identify plants common in US. In all likelihood Google is using data it already has on me to improve the results of it's search...
I challenge any app which can identify a plant, commonly grown in UK, which beats the collective knowledge on this Forum.
It's about convenience. I dare say 30 years ago people would have said "why do I need the internet when I have an encyclopedia".
I have kindly asked for plant IDs on here numerous times and am always amazed by the wealth of knowledge and rapid replies. This forum is brilliant.
But it requires taking photos on my phone, emailing them to myself (I like to use my laptop), resizing and starting a new thread. It's not difficult, but not nearly as convenient as using an app, even if the app is not perfect.
The app I've been using is certainly not 'crap'. It's actually very impressive and far more accurate than I had anticipated. Obviously it made a mistake in this instance. Is it as good as the collective knowledge on this forum - absolutely not. But it has been a useful tool for me and I'll continue to use it, along with this wonderful forum.
For me - the big problem arises when someone wants an ID because they need to know about the care of a plant - pruning, taking cuttings, aspect required etc.
If the ID is wrong, it can mean a lot of disappointment
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I challenge any app which can identify a plant, commonly grown in UK, which beats the collective knowledge on this Forum.
It's about convenience. I dare say 30 years ago people would have said "why do I need the internet when I have an encyclopedia".
I have kindly asked for plant IDs on here numerous times and am always amazed by the wealth of knowledge and rapid replies. This forum is brilliant.
But it requires taking photos on my phone, emailing them to myself (I like to use my laptop), resizing and starting a new thread. It's not difficult, but not nearly as convenient as using an app, even if the app is not perfect.
The app I've been using is certainly not 'crap'. It's actually very impressive and far more accurate than I had anticipated. Obviously it made a mistake in this instance. Is it as good as the collective knowledge on this forum - absolutely not. But it has been a useful tool for me and I'll continue to use it, along with this wonderful forum.
If it's not 100% reliable: it's crap. How do you know if it's right or wrong?
If it's not 100% reliable: it's crap. How do you know if it's right or wrong?
I disagree.
If I want to be certain then I'd do more research, just like if someone on here ID's a plant for me. I'm grateful but I don't take it as gospel. I'm not using the app to identify a plant, then rushing off to buy a million of them. If it's occasionally wrong then it's not the end of the world. It's just a plant ID app, not a matter of life or death (although I guess it could be for the plant ).
I used Google Maps for directions last week while driving. It took me down into a dead end - a private car park. I figured it out and got back on track. Does this mean Google Maps is crap? Well, not for me it isn't. I've used it successfully as a sat-nav many times. It's not 100% reliable but is generally good. It sure beats a street atlas.
Ha! I had the same hebe in my old garden and PictureThis couldn't identify mine either! Weird isn't it. Nonetheless, like you, I've also found it to be a really useful app most of the time.
Posts
Who needs a crap app when we can access the online Bristol Stool Chart? 😉
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I have kindly asked for plant IDs on here numerous times and am always amazed by the wealth of knowledge and rapid replies. This forum is brilliant.
But it requires taking photos on my phone, emailing them to myself (I like to use my laptop), resizing and starting a new thread. It's not difficult, but not nearly as convenient as using an app, even if the app is not perfect.
The app I've been using is certainly not 'crap'. It's actually very impressive and far more accurate than I had anticipated. Obviously it made a mistake in this instance. Is it as good as the collective knowledge on this forum - absolutely not. But it has been a useful tool for me and I'll continue to use it, along with this wonderful forum.
If the ID is wrong, it can mean a lot of disappointment
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
How do you know if it's right or wrong?
If I want to be certain then I'd do more research, just like if someone on here ID's a plant for me. I'm grateful but I don't take it as gospel. I'm not using the app to identify a plant, then rushing off to buy a million of them. If it's occasionally wrong then it's not the end of the world. It's just a plant ID app, not a matter of life or death (although I guess it could be for the plant
I used Google Maps for directions last week while driving. It took me down into a dead end - a private car park. I figured it out and got back on track. Does this mean Google Maps is crap? Well, not for me it isn't. I've used it successfully as a sat-nav many times. It's not 100% reliable but is generally good. It sure beats a street atlas.