Plantarium: plant identifier
An open atlas and online key for plants and lichens of Russia and neighboring countries, with over 700,000 photos and a key built for non-botanists.
What it is
Plantarium is an open online atlas and identification key for plants and lichens of Russia and neighboring countries. Its stated goal is to help people identify wild plants found anywhere in the former Soviet Union, from the Baltic to Central Asia. There are three tools: identify a plant by its appearance, search taxa by Russian or Latin name, and browse by region or location, with landscape shots and photo collections from each place.
The scale is right there on the homepage: over 53,000 taxa, more than 700,000 plant photos, about 56,000 landscape photos and upward of 1,700 active contributors who keep adding pictures.
Why we picked it
Photo-recognition apps are handy but often confidently wrong. Plantarium works differently: its key asks about features, such as leaf shape, flower color and habitat, and is designed for people with any level of botanical knowledge, so you start noticing details you used to walk past. If you already know the name, it becomes an illustrated reference with dozens of photos of one species from different people, places and seasons. That makes it especially useful for Central Asia, the Caucasus and Siberia, since the whole project is built around that territory. There is an English toggle, but most descriptions and names are in Russian alongside Latin, so a translator helps.
Where to start
- Open the identification tool and try it on something growing near you.
- Search a species by Latin name, like Leontopodium, and compare photos from different places.
- Browse regions and locations and pick a mountain range or lake you know.
- Check the feed of new photos: contributors upload daily.
- If you photograph plants, consider joining as a contributor.
Who it's for
Hikers and gardeners, nature photographers, biology students, teachers, and parents whose kids keep asking "what flower is that?".
Quick answers
What area does it cover? Russia and the countries of the former USSR.
Do I need an account? Not for searching or the key; only for uploading photos.
Is it in English? There is an English toggle, but much of the content is in Russian with Latin names.
