A Wild Flower Identification Application

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I have written the text for an application (app.) which can be downloaded to an Apple iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. The Application is called WildFlowerId by a company called Isoperla and can be found in the App store. As from October 2014 it is also available for Android devices.

There are about 350 flowers so far described each of which has photos often of the flower, the leaves and the whole plant. The application is downloadable which means that it is complete on which ever device you have and doesn't need the internet or a telephone connection to work. The most convenient devices would obviously be iPod touch or a mobile Phone because these can be carried in a pocket.

The flower photos and descriptions are accessible by various means. They are arranged in families so that if you know the plant is a member of the Daisy (or Asteraceae) family that is clickable as a group. But all plants are listed alphabetically in order of English name or Latin (you can choose) as well.

identification

However if you haven't a clue what the plant is you can go to the identification screen.

This allows you to put in what information you know about the plant just from observing it. The more information you can put in the better guess it will make about the identity of the plant but unlike binary keys where you theoretically follow through to an absolute identification, this uses statistical methods to give probabilities and gives several answers. In other words app assumes you won't be able to answer all the questions accurately.

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The most probable isn't necessarily the correct one but if you've filled in the data and the plant is described in the app, then it will probably be there somewhere and you can check out the description and photos with what you actually see.

The individual species can be seen occupying the whole of the screen and expanded in the usual way with iPad/pod/Phone devices so that more detail can be seen.

This application is not aimed at botanists but at those who would like to know, however roughly, what the name of that wild flower they've just found actually is. Botanical language is kept to a minimum and only the commonest flowers are described.

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