Botanical Identification Service

The Botanical Identification Service (BIS) provides a comprehensive botanical identification service, with emphasis on wild (native and naturalised) and cultivated plants of New South Wales.

How to collect and prepare specimens

To determine the best way to prepare your specimens for identification please see our printable booklet on collecting plants (PDF, 216 KB).

The identification of plant specimens can be difficult and at times requires a considerable amount of time and effort. In order to give you accurate identifications we require well-collected specimens with adequate accompanying information.

Service enquiries

Please print, complete and submit this form with your plant specimens:

Botanical Identification Service Enquiry Form (PDF, 236 KB)

Collecting permissions

Before you collect, please ensure you have permission. An appropriate licence is required prior to collecting plant specimens from land managed by National Parks and State Forests in New South Wales. Permission should always be sought from the landowner and/or manager when collecting specimens on private land.

The collection of species listed under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 requires a licence to pick or harm a threatened species or ecological community. Please provide permit/licence details with your plant specimens.

What happens after identification?

The specimens we receive and retain through the Botanical Identification Service make a significant contribution to our knowledge and understanding of the New South Wales flora. They become a permanent record in the herbarium providing invaluable data on the distribution and ecology of our flora.

This data contributes to resources such as NSW Flora Online (PlantNET), Australasian Virtual Herbarium and Atlas of Living Australia.  

Outside our services

The botanical information service does not provide:

• general gardening advice
• medical advice – however we will attempt to identify plants suspected of poisonings
• definitive identification based on images alone
• identification of plant cultivars
• identification of wood and timber
• advice of plant edibility or toxicity
• advice on where to purchase plants.