I think this is always going to be a problem because of the fact that due to security and safety issues many people don't like to divulge personal information. Location does help a lot for identifying plants and if the poster can give a general idea of where the plant is growing there's a better chance of finding an exact ID.
I wonder if we could have a "guide" of sorts at the top of the Plant ID Forum:
http://garden.org/forums/view/... listing the information needed to be able to offer an identification? I have no idea how it should be worded but for example something like the following:
~To have your plant identified, please list as much information about the plant as possible and upload photos of the plant in question. A photo of the entire plant, a photo of the leaves and (if the plant is in bloom) a close up photo of the flower will all help. Also of importance for identification is to tell us in what part of the world the plant is growing. If the plant is growing in your own personal garden and you prefer not to divulge your exact location, you can list a general area like your state or country, i.e. Kansas, Maine, Northeastern United States, Australia, England, etc. and whether the plant is growing in full sun, full shade, etc.~
Some folks (
and I'm quite often guilty of this) scan past a lot of typing and don't read it thoroughly so we will probably always have to continue to gently ask for that information from some posters.
I will call the Plant ID Forum moderators to see if they perhaps have suggestions.
@Calif_Sue @eclayne @jon @KentPfeiffer @zuzu
