App Profile: Oregon Wildflowers

OregonFlora at Oregon State University presents the Oregon Wildflowers plant identification app for smart phones and tablets. The app provides photographs, range maps, bloom period, and detailed descriptions for more than 1280 common wildflowers, shrubs, and vines that occur throughout Oregon and adjacent areas of California, Washington and Idaho. The selection and use of this curated data, developed by botanists, provides users with the most accurate information available that will in turn allow them to readily identify the plants they see statewide.

Designed for both budding wildflower enthusiasts and experienced botanists, Oregon Wildflowers will appeal to individuals who are interested in the names and natural history of the plants they encounter. It is an excellent educational tool for all ages to learn about botany, plant communities, and ecology using the plants found throughout Oregon. Each of the 1289 plants profiled has multiple photographs, distribution maps, and a detailed description. The majority of species included are native, and introduced species common to the region are also covered. Plant hunters can use the app to identify species in all ten of Oregon’s diverse ecoregions.

Users can browse through the stunning photographs of plants organized by common name, scientific name, or by family to select a plant and access the related information. However, most users will likely use the identification key that is the core of the app to identify an unknown plant of interest.

The key's interface allows users to select from twelve illustrated categories: geographic region, type of plant (e.g., wildflower, vine, shrub), flower features (flower color, number of petals, inflorescence shape, flowering month), leaf features (arrangement on plant, leaf type, leaf shape, leaf margin), plant size, and habitat. The key’s characters for each species are based on the descriptions prepared for the Flora of Oregon (published by OregonFlora at OSU).

Once downloaded, the app does not need an internet or network connection to run so you can use it no matter how remote your wanderings take you.

The OregonFlora mission is to increase awareness and knowledge of the plants of Oregon through the sharing of technically sound, accessible information for diverse audiences. Since 1994, OregonFlora has been working to develop a new state flora in both printed and digital formats. The first two of three volumes of the Flora of Oregon were published in 2015 and 2020, respectively. The website, (www.oregonflora.org), presents floristic information using interactive tools, maps, and images in formats useful to generalists as well as to scientists. Information about all of Oregon’s ~4,700 vascular plants can be found at the OregonFlora website.

A portion of the revenues received from the app goes to develop the floristic knowledge base that lets us create quality tools to inform the public about Oregon's plants.