About the site
This guide was created to help people recognize plants they encounter on the METU campus, learn their names, and continue researching them. The original project was prepared with support from Doğa Koruma Merkezi, the work of volunteers, and contributions from the METU Department of Computer Education and Instructional Technology.
Curiosity often begins with a broad description such as “a small white flower.” Looking closely at flower form, leaves, height, fruit, and overall habit turns that first impression into a more useful observation. The finder organizes those visible characters into a practical route through the campus flora.
The result is a shortlist, not a guaranteed scientific determination. Closely related plants may differ in small characters that are not visible in a photograph. Compare several features, consult the species record, and seek expert confirmation when the identification matters.
Photos and reuse
The deprecated site used one general citation and download statement. The current project records source and license information per media asset. Do not reuse a photograph unless its current source and license notes explicitly allow it.
Find your species step by step
- Open Find Plant and choose whether the specimen is a herb or wildflower, a tree or shrub, or a seed or fruit.
- For a herb or wildflower, choose the closest flower color.
- Select the flower form that best matches what you can see.
- Estimate the plant’s height. Use the skip option when a character is unavailable rather than guessing.
- Compare the resulting candidates. Check leaf shape and arrangement, flower density, inflorescence, height, and general form, not only color.
- For trees and shrubs, start with the leaf type and compare the resulting candidates.
- The seed and fruit collection is still limited, so that route opens a broader candidate set for visual comparison.
- Use Browse when you already know part of a name or family, or want to filter the full campus list.