Leaf & Gill: an offline plant and mushroom identifier that knows when it's guessing

Description and use

Leaf & Gill is an offline web app that identifies plants and mushrooms using BioCLIP 2, providing top‑5 matches, a trust meter, and deadly look‑alike warnings, all without uploading photos.

Problem

Identification apps fail in no-signal environments because they require server access, risking unsafe usage of poisonous species.

Outcome

The app provides accurate offline identification with safety warnings, achieving 97.4% top‑5 accuracy for plants and 96.6% for fungi on a 3,000‑photo test set, while ensuring no edible claims are made.

Workflow

• Open the web app via Home Screen icon
• First launch downloads a 609 MB BioCLIP 2 model
• Turn on airplane mode
• Snap a photo of a plant or mushroom
• App returns top‑5 matches, trust meter, warnings, and description
• Store results locally in a life list

Evidence

Leaf & Gill identifies wild plants, trees and mushrooms offline, anywhere in the world.

Source

The model is downloaded once (~600 MB, like offline maps) and works in airplane mode after that.

Source

In a 2023 study of mushroom‑poisoning cases in Australia, the best identification app got the species right only 49% of the time.

Source