Using plant ID apps to forage could land you a deadly dinner

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2023-04-06 04:00

International

What does this mean?

Jump to: MultimediaAttachmentsExpert Reaction

If you're using smartphone plant identification apps to forage for food, you might want to double-check your haul before scoffing it to avoid inadvertently poisoning yourself, according to Irish and UK scientists. They tested the accuracy of plant identifications produced by six common smartphone apps - Google Lens, iNaturalist, Leaf Snap, Plant Net, Plant Snap, and Seek - for 38 different plant species, and found considerable variation across all the apps, especially when plants were identified from just leaves and no flowers. The most accurate apps were Plant Net and Plant Snap, but even these got it wrong around one time in eight, the team says. Although these apps play an important role in encouraging us to engage with nature, users should not assume they always identify plant species accurately, and should be particularly cautious if species may be toxic, they conclude.