Plantnet APIidentify.plantnet.org ↗
Access Pl@ntNet's botanical database via 17 endpoints. Query species, families, genera, community observations, and geographic distribution data.
What is the Plantnet API?
This API exposes 17 endpoints covering Pl@ntNet's full botanical catalog — species taxonomy, family and genus hierarchies, community observations, and geographic distribution data. Use get_species to retrieve organ-classified image galleries, GBIF identifiers, synonyms, and common names for any species in a given flora. Endpoints cover everything from listing regional floras and paginated species indexes to per-observation contributor details and monthly phenology trends.
No input parameters required.
curl -X GET 'https://api.parse.bot/scraper/113c4a85-0514-4358-96ae-4704a01d43ba/list_floras' \ -H 'X-API-Key: $PARSE_API_KEY'
Typed, relational, agent-ready
A generated client with real types, enums, and the links between objects — the structure a flat JSON response can't carry. Autocompletes in your editor and reads cleanly to coding agents.
- Fully typed · autocompletes
- Objects link to objects
- Typed errors & pagination
Typed Python client. Set up the SDK in your uv project, then pull this API’s typed client:
uv add parse-sdk uv run parse init uv run parse add --marketplace identify-plantnet-org-api
uv run parse add --marketplace pulls a pinned snapshot of this canonical API — it won’t change underneath you. To customize it, subscribe and swap to your own copy.
"""
Pl@ntNet Plant Data API - Usage Example
Search plant species, browse families and genera, and explore observations.
"""
from parse_apis.pl_ntnet_plant_data_api import PlantNet, Organ, ResourceNotFound
plantnet = PlantNet()
# Discover available floras (regional/thematic projects)
for group in plantnet.floragroups.list(limit=3):
print(group.title, group.id)
for project in group.projects:
print(f" {project.id}: {project.title} ({project.speciesCount} species)")
# Browse species in the World Flora
world_flora = plantnet.flora(id="k-world-flora")
# Search for roses in the flora
species_item = world_flora.search_species(query="Rosa", limit=1).first()
if species_item:
print(species_item.name, species_item.author, species_item.family)
# Get detailed species info
detail = species_item.details()
print(detail.commonNames, detail.synonyms)
# Get flower gallery for this species
gallery = detail.galleries(organ=Organ.FLOWER)
for img in gallery.images[:3]:
print(img.id, img.o)
# Get phenology trends
for trend in detail.trends(limit=3):
print(trend.organ, [c.label for c in trend.counts[:3]])
# Browse families in the flora
family_item = world_flora.families(limit=1).first()
if family_item:
print(family_item.name, family_item.speciesCount, family_item.generaCount)
full_family = family_item.details()
for genus in full_family.genera(limit=3):
print(genus.name, genus.speciesCount)
# List community groups
for grp in plantnet.groups.list(limit=3):
print(grp.title, grp.membersCount)
# Typed error handling
try:
plantnet.flora(id="k-world-flora").search_species(query="nonexistent_xyz_12345", limit=1).first()
except ResourceNotFound as exc:
print(f"not found: {exc}")
print("exercised: floragroups.list / search_species / get_species / galleries / trends / families / get_family / genera / groups.list")
List all available regional and thematic floras (projects) on Pl@ntNet. Returns groups of projects organized by region or theme. Use project IDs from this endpoint as the project_id parameter in other endpoints.
No input parameters required.
{
"type": "object",
"fields": {
"floras": "array of flora group objects with id, title, projects array"
},
"sample": {
"data": {
"floras": [
{
"id": "th",
"title": "Themes",
"projects": [
{
"id": "k-world-flora",
"title": "World flora",
"description": "Plants of the world flora",
"imagesCount": 19616067,
"speciesCount": 83957,
"observationsCount": 15017327
}
],
"description": null
}
]
},
"status": "success"
}
}About the Plantnet API
Species and Taxonomy Data
The core species endpoints — list_species, search_species, and get_species — let you navigate Pl@ntNet's flora-scoped botanical database. search_species accepts a query parameter matching scientific names, common names, genera, or families, and returns paginated results with name, author, genus, family, commonNames, imagesCount, and observationsCount. get_species goes deeper: pass a project_id and scientific_name to get images organized by organ type (flower, leaf, fruit, bark, habit, other), a linked GBIF object, and full synonym data. get_species_galleries lets you paginate through organ-specific image sets independently.
Families and Genera
list_families and list_genera return alphabetically sorted, paginated indexes of families and genera within a flora, each with speciesCount, generaCount, observationsCount, and imagesCount. search_families only matches scientific family names — queries like 'rosa' will match 'Rosaceae', but common-name queries return a 404. get_family_genera retrieves genera within a specific family sorted by observation count descending, giving a quick view of which genera are most actively documented in a region.
Observations and Community
list_observations returns a recency-sorted, paginated feed of community plant observations, each with author, dateObs, species, images, and a geo object containing lat, lon, place, and accuracy. get_observation expands a single observation to include species determination votes and full contributor metadata. list_groups and get_group expose Pl@ntNet's community groups, returning membersCount, observationsCount, and recent activity.
Distribution and Trends
get_species_map returns a gbif_id and a map_url pointing to a PNG image of the species' global distribution sourced from GBIF. get_species_trends provides monthly observation counts broken down by plant organ, structured as an array of objects with by (month number), count, and label — useful for phenology analysis. get_species_top_contributors ranks users by contribution count for a given species, returning user objects with id, name, and avatar.
The Plantnet API is a managed, monitored endpoint for identify.plantnet.org — not a raw scraper you maintain. Every endpoint is automatically health-checked on a schedule, and when identify.plantnet.org changes and a check fails, the API is automatically queued for repair and re-verified. It is built to keep working as the site underneath it changes.
This isn't an official identify.plantnet.org API — it's an independent, maintained REST wrapper over public data. Where the source has no official API (or only a limited one), Parse gives you a stable contract over a source that never promised one, and keeps it current. Need a new endpoint or field? You can revise it yourself in plain English and the agent rebuilds it against the live site in minutes — contributing the change back to the shared API is free.
Will this API break when the source site changes?+
Is this an official API from the source site?+
Can I fix or extend this API myself if I need a new endpoint or field?+
What happens if I call an endpoint that has an issue?+
- Build a regional flora browser by calling
list_florasto enumerate available projects, thenlist_specieswith a chosenproject_idto populate species pages. - Power a plant ID lookup tool using
search_speciesto match user-entered names against Pl@ntNet's taxonomy and return image thumbnails and observation counts. - Generate species profile pages with organ-classified photo galleries using
get_species_galleriesfiltered byorgantype. - Analyze seasonal flowering and fruiting patterns for a species by plotting monthly data from
get_species_trends. - Map species geographic range by retrieving the distribution map URL from
get_species_mapand embedding the GBIF-sourced PNG in an app. - Surface community observations with geolocation for citizen science dashboards using
list_observationsandget_observationgeo fields. - Identify the most active contributors to a species' documentation using
get_species_top_contributorsto display ranked user profiles.
| Tier | Price | Credits/month | Rate limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0/mo | 100 | 5 req/min |
| Hobby | $30/mo | 1,000 | 20 req/min |
| Developer | $100/mo | 5,000 | 100 req/min |
One credit = one API call regardless of which marketplace API you call. Exceeding the rate limit returns a 429 response. Authenticate with the X-API-Key header.
Does Pl@ntNet have an official developer API?+
What does `get_species` return beyond a basic species record?+
get_species returns a gbif object with the GBIF species ID, full genus and family objects, commonNames as an array of strings, and an images object keyed by organ type (flower, leaf, fruit, bark, habit, other), each containing arrays of image objects. Author attribution is included in the species object.Can I search families by common name?+
search_families only matches scientific family names. Passing a common name like 'rose family' returns a 404 from upstream. Use a partial scientific name instead — for example, 'rosa' matches 'Rosaceae'.Does the API return species identification results from a photo upload?+
Is observation geolocation always present?+
geo object on observations contains lat, lon, place, and accuracy fields, but these are null when the contributor did not attach location data to their observation. Filter or handle null geo objects in your application logic.