Questions tagged [identification]

Use this tag for questions that ask "what is this thing?" Pictures, geographic location, and descriptive titles are important. Ask only one identification request per question. When you get an answer, consider adding a further tag (for the flower, tree, beetle etc. that has been identified) so your question is cataloged correctly. If the question is about determining the cause of a plant problem (e.g. disease), the diagnosis tag is more appropriate.

When asking an identification question:

  • Make a good title:

    • Include the type of thing (weed, bug, plant, etc.) that you want to identify.
    • Include distinctive features. ("Red fuzzy vines".)
    • Include where it was found -- both where in the world, and where in a "micro" sense ("eating the lower leaves of my plant", "under a rock", "fungus growing on my tree trunk", etc).

    • Ask only one plant identification request per question. If you'd like more than one plant identified, feel free to ask additional questions.

  • Include at least one photo.

  • Repeat the descriptive features in your question.
  • Include how it relates to gardening.

When you get a satisfactory answer, consider adding a further tag so that your question is cataloged with other similar questions. If an answer makes the question relevant to another category (e.g. a vine later identified as Morning Glory), then it should be tagged as such.

3188 questions
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What kind of orchid did I buy?

I stumbled upon a farmers market in North California this weekend and bought this really pretty orchid, but I guess I was too excited about my purchase to ask the seller what kind of orchid it was, and there is no identification on the pot or…
Kareen
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Is this weird glob of brownish stuff a fungus?

I was doing my daily inspection of my plants I noticed this weird glob of stuff in the pot of one of my trees. I'm trying to figure out what exactly this is, because I've seen the same thing in another pot about a month ago. Is this some kind of…
Ashley Grenon
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What is this pungent plant with spikes of purple flowers?

This plant is flowering in our garden. The leaves are gray/green. It has small spikes of purple flowers all over, which are a few inches tall. It has a peculiarly rich smell which I rather love, but my son and wife think it stinks. She described it…
Aaron Brick
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Bee-attracting tall shrub with cones of tiny cream-white flowers in Colorado?

We live at 7000 feet and have a volunteer shrub that is over 6 feet tall. The flowers are about 1/4"-3/8"; cream/white colored; with 5 wee petals and a pale yellow, spikey center. Also, the flowers are clumped in cones of about 8 rows. The flowers…
RJo
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What is this brown seed pod found under a large evergreen tree?

Please help me to identify the seed. I was thinking it was a sweetgum tree of some kind, but then it is a bit different, so I remain in doubts. I attach the image of the pod and the tree under which it was found in great quantity. It is taken in…
bespalex
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Can anyone identify this plant that grows leaves from its leaf?

This plant has been growing in my garden (south India) for a while. Would like to know its name so that I can take better care of it. Thanks!
Yeti
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Can anyone identify this fruit-bearing tree?

I found this fruit tree growing in a community garden and it looks oddly familiar although I can't quite pick it.
user46024
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What are these small brown curved seeds?

I got a plastic bag of seeds from my friend in church, but I don't know which kind of plant they will grow into when they come out. Would you please identify this seed?
LowyChan
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What are these woodlouse-like bugs and how do I kill them?

I have these black woodlouse like bugs that infested my whole back yard. They are eating through many of the leaves in our garden and wreaking havoc. (Click to enlarge) What kind of pesticide / approach can I take to eliminate them or reduce their…
Sam Saffron
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What type of dandelion is this?

Years ago, hiking in the Malibu CA region, I saw this very unusual inflorescence that looked like a dandelion but isn't like any that I've ever seen before or since. The yellow flowers in the corner of the picture might give a hint as to what plant…
heropup
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What is the best way to identify a Saintpaulia (African violet)?

Several times, I have had Saintpaulias (African violets) in unlabeled pots. I tried finding the variety name through several sites and they all looked different. How can I identify them?
J. Musser
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What is this screening tree, growing in South Australia?

Can anyone identify this screening tree/hedge growing in the Adelaide plains, South Australia? Any family or clade suggestions will help! I'd like to propagate it next to the fences in our own backyard because it looks hardy and demonstrates…
Lisa
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What is this pine tree with long pendulous needles and vivid purple flowers?

Having looked around the net I think the tree in the photos here is a Western White Pine - certainly the cone seems to suggest that - but the very long pendulous needles and the vivid purple flowers seem somewhat at odds with the other photos I've…
rivimey
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Please help identify this aggressive vine?

I live in the Boston area, and this vine is growing in the public land behind my property. The vine is a very aggressive grower and will overtake anything in it's path, including my fence. I've ripped out several hundred square feet of it already,…
Pbaz
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What could this object in a tree be?

This is in a domestic garden, in Cornwall, UK. What is it?
Stewart
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