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 is this thorny tree with small, oval leaves, and seed pods?

I found this tree growing on a farm on the outskirts of Johannesburg, South Africa. It has really nasty thorns sticking out all over. Click on pictures for larger view.
Richard C
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What is this flower with purple and white petals that roll up to form a tube?

I found this very cool looking flower but have not been able to identify it. If you know what it is called please post your answer. Thanks.
Green Thumb
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What is this houseplant with dark green linear leaves?

I can't seem to identify this little guy.
stewart715
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What is this tree-like houseplant with long thin leaves? Is it sick?

Can somebody identify this plant? I received it for my Dad's passing and it isn't doing so well. I just moved it and it may be in shock.
R.Humphries
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Mystery plant growing in yard? TX

This is long and semi-waxy, but soft. I was just outside re-potting some other plants and was thinking about pulling some other flowers that had spread and came across this. It's like.. hair. It doesn't hold itself up and really long. It makes like…
Hush
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Lemons? Limes? Oranges? These trees are wierd!

I inherited 3 trees when I bought my house and all three have thorns on the branches with two trees having what appear to be lemons with orange highlights. When opened they have a very thick skin, are easy to peel and have a light orange and lemon…
Marvin
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What is this 'bleeding' mushroom?

I photographed this weird looking fungus growing out of an open cut in a tree (not sure what type of tree it was) on my parent's property last weekend in central Texas after some heavy rain. The mushroom was dark brown on top, with orange-colored…
p.s.w.g
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What is this weed and how do I get rid of it?

I'm located in northern Utah, USA. There is a weed which is proving difficult to control, which I haven't been able to identify. It is usually fairly easy to pull, but you only get a small bit of root because these things spread via an underground…
JYelton
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Vine-like, deep-rooted very aggressive weed - what is it and how do I get rid of it?

I've been trying to find out what weed this is (see photo), but I can't seem to find a definitive answer. The weed mainly grows in the hedges of the garden, and appears to be choking it. It twists up the stems of the hedges like a vine. One hedge…
Mathieu Dhondt
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What is this itch-inducing twig I found in my cilantro?

I bought a bunch of cilantro today at my usual produce market and when I picked it up, I felt a couple of pricks on my fingers that started itching a lot. When I got home and started preparing said cilantro, I found a twig of something that is…
Kareen
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What is this weed in my lawn and how do I control it?

I have this stuff growing throughout my yard. I live in Southern NJ, USA. It seems to only appear Mid/Late July - August. It grows in patches and if I don't pull, can spread pretty rapidly across the lawn. It can be sort of "sticky" when I…
Brian
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What is this large furry leafed plant with purple stalks, found in the UK?

Does anyone have any idea what this is? It looks too substantial to be a weed
Dan
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What is this flower that smells like a skunk?

This has been blooming in the sun in my yard in Massachusetts for the past two weeks. We've only lived here since last spring and since I didn't plant it, I'm guessing it's a perennial. What's intriguing is that the flower smells like it's been…
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What insect eats petals and what can I do to kill it?

My geraniums loved being outside the front window of my house. They've been thriving there for over two months now and I thought I'd finally found a winner (it's too hot for pansies and other daintier plants). Now they're getting eaten alive. I've…
Michael Todd
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What is this weed, found in UK, with serrated leaves and small green flowers?

It's growing everywhere in my garden and it pops up faster than I can pick it. I'm told it could be dog's mercury or gallant soldier. I'm not sure it looks the same as those. What species could it be?
Dan
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