Indigene
Native plant finder
Free, open-source web app recommending native plants for your exact spot, with no account or ads. Common caveat: coverage is limited, and some regions give poor results.
Free, open-source web app recommending native plants for your exact spot, with no account or ads. Common caveat: coverage is limited, and some regions give poor results.
20 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 15
- criticize it
- 5
- approval share
- 75%
Recommended in 2 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 15 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 3 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 2 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Useful plant propagation and relocation advice
“they’ve been very useful before and sometimes after planting when it becomes clear you might have to relocate a plant”
Comment from 7 Aug 2026 in “Crime Pays but Botany Doesn't” “I already love the info I get from the propagation section”
Comment from 15 Oct 2026 in “Show HN: Indigene – Native plants for where you stand” “those are incredibly helpful”
Comment from 7 Aug 2026 in “Crime Pays but Botany Doesn't” Finds ecosystem-positive plants for degraded land
“It's a spot and condition-specific tool that lets unfamiliar people discover the most ecosystem-positive specimens they could plant.”
Comment from 17 Oct 2026 in “Show HN: Indigene – Native plants for where you stand” “For people with degraded ecology though this is a great resource.”
Comment from 15 Oct 2026 in “Show HN: Indigene – Native plants for where you stand” Explore regions beyond your own
“The most fun I had with Indigene was when I decided to add French ecoregions so my parents could use the app too.”
Comment from 6 Aug 2026 in “Crime Pays but Botany Doesn't” “regions are there for you to explore everything, not just where you are”
Comment from 16 Oct 2026 in “Show HN: Indigene – Native plants for where you stand”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Limited or unreliable regional coverage
“im not getting the impression that your system is reliable in that area yet”
Comment from 15 Oct 2026 in “Show HN: Indigene – Native plants for where you stand” “given how limited the coverage is, you could save people a lot of time with a map”
Comment from 15 Oct 2026 in “Show HN: Indigene – Native plants for where you stand” “It's broken. Pick by region is a dead end if that's not your region.”
Comment from 15 Oct 2026 in “Show HN: Indigene – Native plants for where you stand” - Comment from 17 Oct 2026 in “Show HN: Indigene – Native plants for where you stand”
Map and zoom options missing
“I specifically limited map levels to reduce the app's size and that's a big downside.”
Comment from 15 Oct 2026 in “Show HN: Indigene – Native plants for where you stand” “I can't find a map of the region's boundary. It's not at all clear to me how far north or south the region extends.”
Comment from 6 Aug 2026 in “Crime Pays but Botany Doesn't” “No zip code input, no zoom out.”
Comment from 15 Oct 2026 in “Show HN: Indigene – Native plants for where you stand”
What people said
25 of the 27 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“It's a spot and condition-specific tool that lets unfamiliar people discover the most ecosystem-positive specimens they could plant.”
“It didn't where I live so this site doesn't do much for me.”
“really cool project and love what you're doing”
“regions are there for you to explore everything, not just where you are”
“Wow this worked really well for me.”
“most of this project is connecting dots between open science and already amazing projects like iNaturalist”
“I specifically limited map levels to reduce the app's size and that's a big downside.”
“I already love the info I get from the propagation section”
“For people with degraded ecology though this is a great resource.”
“on the other hand I guess I could have come to that conclusion myself”
“It's broken. Pick by region is a dead end if that's not your region.”
“No zip code input, no zoom out.”
“im not getting the impression that your system is reliable in that area yet”
“given how limited the coverage is, you could save people a lot of time with a map”
“I like how the app guided me towards the results page”
“the recommendations look about in line with our native flora”
“Very nice! My wife is very much into this, and I'll share it with her.”
“I couldn't find an option to change the soil type, since it guessed mine very incorrectly.”
“they’ve been very useful before and sometimes after planting when it becomes clear you might have to relocate a plant”
“those are incredibly helpful”
“I can't find a map of the region's boundary. It's not at all clear to me how far north or south the region extends.”
“The most fun I had with Indigene was when I decided to add French ecoregions so my parents could use the app too.”
“Wow, this is a lovely tool, and it's clearly built with a lot of your own knowledge!”
“glad to see it, keep at it!”
“browser-only, offline & mobile-friendly, no account, no ads, open source tool”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.