Cactus ID Apps. Anyone Use them?

[mikethecactusguy]

Hi All
I have been hanging around some of the facebook cactus pages and a few times someone has mentioned they use a plant ID app. to identify their plants.
I looked apps up on GooglePlay and there were quite a few, with some getting 4 1/2 star ratings.
Anyone here use them? Any opinion on how well they work?
Thanks
Mike M

[esp_imaging]

I hear they aren't great for cacti, possibly because the spines don't lend them to easy ai analysis. I guess simple, well defined leaf shapes work well, many cacti with their indistinct outlines, less so.

[DaveW]

Presumably somebody has to put the right specific names in in the first place? If you Google for a species there are many incorrectly identified species on the Web. It also depends how much of a "Lumper" or "Splitter" you are as to what names are lumped and which kept separate.

For instance if you are a "Lumper" Gymnocalycium horsti has both white and pink flowered plants. However if you are a "Splitter" you have Gymnocalycium horstii type form with the white flowers and Gymnocalycium horstii ssp. bueneckerii or even Gymnocalycium bueneckeri with the pink flowers. Unfortunately that has led to the G. bueneckeri form simply being labelled as the type on the Web and the white flowered form hardly ever illustrated. Therefore many now think G. horstii is only pink flowered and have never heard of ssp. bueneckeri for the pink form.

See:-

https://www.gymnocalycium.fr/gymnocalycium-horstii/

https://www.gymnocalycium.fr/gymnocalyc ... buenekeri/

I don't know about the USA, but the original white flowered G. horstii is now hard to obtain as plants in the UK, simply because nurserymen only propagate the more attractive and easily saleable pink flowered G. bueneckeri and then simply call it G. horstii.

The same applies to the yellow flowered form of Notocactus uebelmannianus (= Parodia werneri) you seldom see it's v. flaviflorus only the purple type form. Even more idiotic when you see plants being sold as Notocactus uebelmannianus flaviflorus with purple flowers, when even a basic knowledge of botanical Latin which presumably a plant nurseryman should have is "flaviflorus" means yellow flowered!

https://planetdesert.com/products/notoc ... %20neglect.

The correct N. uebelmannianus ssp. flaviflorus.

https://kaktusy-sukulenty-behul.webnode ... rus-2-jpg/

As with all computer programs it depends on the correctness of the data inserted and GIGO = garbage in, garbage out. Also with ratings do those giving the ratings actually know the species identification was correct? They may help sorting the plant into the correct genus or group within a genus, but then you may have to use a proper botanical description to sort out two or more related species.

[Jangaudi]

I think as with many things these days, they are apps for the masses, and will not be very specific or correct as Dave said in case of the more rare cacti. If the app results in identifying a well known and readily available Opuntia, the user in question will shout "Bingo !" and be happy with the result. Though who knows we might be surprised if the app can ID some unexpected cacti correctly. Though the big question is also ; "why would we want to fun of our hobbies be passed onto some AI apps to do the work for us ? " What would be the fun in that ?

[mikethecactusguy]

Jangaudi
I agree that part of our hobby is to learn and explore. But what is the difference between an app that helps to identify a plant to all the people that use this forum to ask for identity help before they themselves search and explore. In my opinion, none. Look through the ID requests and it apparent that a good percentage are by new members that have no desire to spend time researching through previous postings and learning how to identify a plant. So if an app can identify the common plants that these members continue to ask about what is the difference?
I downloaded this one this morning and will spend the weekend putting it through its paces.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... n_US&gl=US

[samhain]

I have tried using seek on some of mine, pretty worthless. It would be nice if it had an option to notify it that’s it’s incorrect.

[DaveW]

If it narrows down the field to search by providing genus and probable species group they are useful. However you still then need to check against a proper botanical description to be sure.

[nona]

Jangaudi
I agree that part of our hobby is to learn and explore. But what is the difference between an app that helps to identify a plant to all the people that use this forum to ask for identity help before they themselves search and explore. In my opinion, none. Look through the ID requests and it apparent that a good percentage are by new members that have no desire to spend time researching through previous postings and learning how to identify a plant. So if an app can identify the common plants that these members continue to ask about what is the difference?
I downloaded this one this morning and will spend the weekend putting it through its paces.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... n_US&gl=US

The future of law enforcement - scanning everyone's plants.