Botanic Gardens Trust, Sydney, Australia

Department of Environment and Climate Change NSW

Plant Identification

Plant identification and botanical information service

Trying to identify plants? Tearing your hair out? Let us help you. We provide a comprehensive plant identification and botanical information service for over-the-counter visitors  (open weekdays 9 am to 1 pm) and by fax or mail. We also provide general botanical information including current scientific names of plants and details on the distribution of NSW plants. See Gardening Information for horticultural topics including plant diseases and pests.

Contact us for advice on the best way to prepare your specimens for identification, or read the chapter on collecting specimens in the book Proteaceae of New South Wales or volume 1 of the Flora of New South Wales. We also have a booklet on collecting, preserving and identifying specimens, available from our Garden Shops.

Botanical Information Service (open weekdays 9 am to 1 pm)
National Herbarium of NSW
Botanic Gardens Trust
Mrs Macquaries Road, Sydney 2000
Fax 02-9251 1952

  • Urgent ID inquiries (e.g. poisonous plants): phone 02-9231 8111
  • Poisons Information Centre: phone 131126
  • Police inquiries over the counter 11am - midday Mon - Fri
  • Identifying roots blocking drains: phone 02-4457 1251

Prices

Free identifications for up to six (6) specimens per year for members of the public, Friends of The Gardens and Trust Volunteers, after which commercial rates apply:

  • Minimum charge: Over the Counter $16.50 , Mail $33.00
  • Plant Identifications: $16.50 per specimen, $8.25 partial identification of confirmation
  • Identifications referred to specialist botanist:  $33.00 per specimen
  • Data provision: $55.00 (small search). $110.00 (large search) plus $1.10 per specimen record
  • Consulting fee: $130-$200/hour depending on the complexity of the job

(All charges include GST)

Note: inquirers with new, important or quality specimen(s) that we can add to the Herbarium collection, will not incur a fee for identification of the specimen(s).

Public Reference Collection

Interested in identifying plants for yourself? This collection of pressed plants is available 9 am–4 pm Mon–Fri for you to identify your own plant collections by comparison with authenticated herbarium vouchers. A microscope and reference books are available, and we can also provide assistance with using the collection. The Public Reference Collection provides an educational resource that increases botanical knowledge and plant identification skills within the community.

Flora of New South Wales

This four-volume Flora of New South Wales helps both amateur and professional botanists to identify plant species that occur in New South Wales — both native and naturalised — and to be informed of their distribution within the State.

Eupomatia laurina

Mount Tomah Botanic Garden

Mount Tomah Botanic Garden
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