Explore · Discover · Treasure

Your digital identification and field guide to South Africa’s indigenous trees.

Botanically accurate, intuitively designed, with SmartSearch tree ID technology. 

Download TheTreeApp

Free to explore. Upgrade anytime.

Explore · Discover · Treasure

Your digital identification and field guide to South Africa’s indigenous trees.

Botanically accurate, intuitively designed, with SmartSearch tree ID technology. 

Download TheTreeApp

Free to explore. Upgrade anytime.

Every tree has a story

From tiny leaf shapes to bold bark patterns, each of South Africa’s indigenous trees tell a story about its environment, its wildlife, its cultural history, its traditional uses and its role in the ecosystem.

  • EXPLORE

    Intuitive SmartSearch
    tree ID

  • DISCOVER

    1042 indigenous South African trees

  • TREASURE

    Your sightings with your own ‘lifer’ TreeList

  • EXPLORE

    Over 6000 full-colour photos and botanical artworks

  • Discover

    Even when you are
    not online 

  • Treasure

    Science, stories and traditional uses with Leaf & Lore

Discover what makes TheTreeApp unique

Combining in-depth botanical descriptions, full-colour photos and artworks with our SmartSearch feature helps you confidently recognise, identify and learn about South Africa’s extraordinary trees and large shrubs. 

Explore.
Discover.
Treasure.

Free to explore.
Unlock the full experience when you are ready.

R0.00/day

3-day explorers trial

Access the full experience, no limits, for 3 days. 

FREE

Explore for Free
  • 1042 detailed indigenous trees guides
  • +6000 full-colour photos and botanical artworks
  • SmartSearch identification technology
  • 2000 South African reserve maps
  • Interactive geolocation and distribution maps 
  • Search trees by name using scientific & 11 South African languages 
  • About trees field guide 
  • Log sightings and create your own TreeList
  • Full offline access
  • 135 common alien invasive species information
  • Glossary of botanical terms

Cancel anytime before the trial ends. By signing up you agree to our terms of service.

R0.96/day

Fresh roots promo

Celebrate our massive upgrade with a special introductory discount! Enjoy comprehensive, upgraded access for a full year.

R349.99

Claim Relaunch Deal
  • 1042 detailed indigenous trees guides
  • +6000 full-colour photos and botanical artworks
  • SmartSearch identification technology
  • 2000 South African reserve maps
  • Interactive geolocation and distribution maps 
  • Search trees by name using scientific & 11 South African languages 
  • About trees field guide 
  • Weekly Leaf & Lore posts
  • Log sightings and create your own TreeList
  • Full offline access
  • 135 common alien invasive species information
  • Glossary of botanical terms
  • Securely backup sightings and TreeList
  • Ongoing support, upgrades and functionality 
  • Free access to TreeListers community

Renews annually at the standard rate of R449.99/year after the first 12 months. Cancel anytime. By signing up you agree to our terms of service.

R1.23/day

Annual access

Complete access to all species, SmartSearch, artwork, maps and features

R449.99

Get Full Access Yearly
  • 1042 detailed indigenous trees guides
  • +6000 full-colour photos and botanical artworks
  • SmartSearch identification technology
  • 2000 South African reserve maps
  • Interactive geolocation and distribution maps 
  • Search trees by name using scientific & 11 South African languages 
  • About trees field guide for identifying trees
  • Weekly Leaf & Lore posts
  • Log sightings and create your own TreeList
  • Full offline access
  • 135 common alien invasive species information
  • Glossary of botanical terms
  • Securely backup sightings and TreeList
  • Ongoing support, upgrades and functionality 
  • Free access to TreeListers community

Renews at the standard rate of R449.99/year every 12 months. Cancel anytime.  By signing up you agree to our terms of service.

Learn to love 1000 trees

Designed for real-world exploration, TheTreeApp guides you from noticing a leaf, flower or bark pattern to confidently identifying the tree in front of you. 

We love hearing from our community.

Don’t take our word for it

It’s a privilege knowing TheTreeApp helps people discover the joy of South Africa’s amazing trees, not through textbooks, but through interacting with the natural world around them.

Explore the app Now

  • BARKO
    “The most informative and useful tool for getting to know the trees and plants of South Africa. With its built in search functions and interactive guidance and help features, there is no better way to build knowledge of, and enjoy the wonderful tree and plant life of this country. “


  • “This is by faaaar the best tree app. Its so much easier and faster than the books. And it really works. Other tree apps are useless. Worth the money.”

  • “I love this App, specifically its layout, ease of use, rich information and superb illustrations (especially by Joan van Gogh). The App is priced just right and certainly gives good value for money”

  • “As someone getting into trees and plants, this is helpful to hand and information write-up is good.”

  • KEVIN CONWAY
    “I have Android devices. This app has amazing capabilities, and is a must for both beginner and experienced indigenous tree enthusiasts. I highly recommend this App, regular updates, and customer support is excellent.”

  • HERMAN CHONG
    “This is a very comprehensive and useful app for anyone who has any interest in trees. As a guide I can’t recommend it enough!”

  • LYN VAN ROOYEN
    “This is still such an amazing app for tree people of all kinds. You don’t have to be a botanist or a specialist – it is fantastic for anyone interested in learning more about trees.”

  • JEAN DU TOIT
    “Fantastic app! The Tree search function works very well to filter species for identification. The location feature is also excellent!”

  • ADAM HARROWER
    – Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens
     “I’ve been using TheTreeApp for a number of years with no hassle. I love the app!”

  • GRANT ESTERHUYSE
    “This is a Fantastically powerful App. Allows you to start narrowing the ID probability down by answering questions about almost ANY (and every) aspect of the tree. Flowers, fruit, thorns, leaves etc. I HIGHLY recommend this app.”

Frequently asked questions

Find answers to the most common questions about using TheTreeApp

Through SmartSearch—a smart, intuitive, feature-filter key. Instead of endless scrolling, you use observable clues: the shape of a leaf, the colour of a flower, or a bold bark texture. This powerful tool then filters over 1177 possible species down to the most likely match. This match can be narrowed down even further to trees that grow naturally in your exact location (within a 12.5km radius), using TheTreeApp’s GPS capability.

Yes. Once downloaded, TheTreeApp’s core features are designed for full offline access. This means you can use it even in the deepest corner of the Kruger National Park or the Karoo without worrying about connectivity. However, any new sightings logs, new weekly Leaf & Lore articles and in-app notifications will only be updated once you are reconnected again.

No, TheTreeApp does not currently use ‘point-and-click’ image recognition (IR) software. While automatic photo recognition sounds convenient, the technology faces several major real-world hurdles when it comes to accurately identifying trees in the wild:

  • Internet dependence: Image recognition typically requires a stable, reliable internet connection to process data on a server. Because our users are often deep in nature or in remote areas with no cellular signal, an online-dependent tool would let you down when you need it most.
  • Incredible biodiversity: South Africa is home to a massive, diverse array of tree species. This immense variety makes it exceptionally difficult for AI to define unique features clearly enough for an exact match.
  • Nature’s shape-shifters: Individual tree species can look vastly different depending on the season, where they are growing, and how much water they receive. This high variability heavily complicates the effectiveness of image recognition.
  • Lookalikes: Many tree species look superficially identical to one another, especially when they aren’t actively bearing distinguishing features like thorns, flowers, or fruits. Without these clues, image software simply cannot make a positive ID.

Instead of unpredictable image matching, TheTreeApp uses a highly advanced smart filter system. By guiding you through easily observable characteristics, our filters are currently the absolute best and most reliable way to guarantee a proper identification, completely offline, anywhere in the bush.

Nature doesn’t always play by strict textbook definitions, this is especially true in southern Africa! While we generally think of a ‘tree’ as a woody plant taller than 3 meters, with a single trunk and distinct canopy, and a ‘shrub’ as a shorter, multi-stemmed plant, that boundary completely blurs out in the wild.

We include large shrubs—and even robust, woody climbers—to make sure you can always find what you’re looking at. Here is why the lines get crossed:

  • The fire factor: Regular bushfires are common in our local vegetation. These fires often cut back proper trees, forcing them to grow as multi-stemmed shrubs for years, or even permanently.
  • Arid adaptations: More than half of the subcontinent is desert or semi-desert. In these harsh, dry environments, trees naturally tend to stay smaller and grow multiple stems to survive.
  • The baby-tree dilemma: Every tall tree starts out small. When they are young and under 3 meters, many trees look identical to shrubs making it very tricky to tell the difference between a shrub, and a young shrubby tree. 

By adopting a broader, more practical definition of a tree, TheTreeApp ensures that whatever woody plant you encounter on your explorations, you’ll actually be able to identify it.

The short answer? We listened to you! The 2026 update represents our most significant evolutionary leap yet. Following an extensive review of all our users’ invaluable feedback, we have redesigned, refined, and packed the app with incredible new features and content to make identifying South Africa’s indigenous trees smoother, faster, and much more fun.

Here is a breakdown of what is new and improved:

  • A much more stable engine: We’ve upgraded the server platform so the app runs smoothly and stays ultra-stable.
  • Cleaner, easier design: The whole look has been refreshed to make navigation effortless, getting you where you need to go with fewer taps.
  • Smarter filtering: We’ve simplified the SmartSearch function, making it much more intuitive to select a tree’s features and ID it.
  • Massive map upgrades: We’ve intergrated and updated maps for 2,000 South African reserves and completely refreshed all our species distribution data.
  • One unified app: We’ve done away with the separate botanical version*. Instead, we’ve translated complex jargon into everyday language across the board, keeping things scientifically accurate but accessible.
  • Fully verified data: We’ve gone through every single tree profile, map, and piece of artwork from scratch to ensure all the botanical info is updated and accurate.
  • Over 6,000 photos: We’ve added a huge gallery of new full-colour images to help you visually confirm your discoveries.
  • “About Trees” beginner guide: A brand-new, built-in guide to help you master what to look for and use these clues to ID trees.
  • Leaf & Lore: Our favourite new addition! This feature will deliver weekly in-app tree science & stories, advanced tree ID tips, seasonal info, local myths, uses, and even a few quizzes.

It’s less of a facelift and more of a complete rethink to make it the ultimate companion for exploring, discovering and treasuring our trees. We’re putting the finishing touches on it now, so keep an eye on your inbox for the official launch!

*This was a very difficult decision as we know that a number of our users loved this version!

The botanical information for each species in TheTreeApp has been written, collated and verified by a team of academic botanists and highly-experienced tree enthusiasts. Part of the 2026 major upgrade included a significant process of checking and updating all tree data and artwork for every tree species, including the common alien invasives. TheTreeApp is currently the most comprehensive and inclusive guide to South Africa’s indigenous trees and large shrubs. 

Yes, but only if you are buying from the App Store (Apple). Here are the steps to do this: https://support.apple.com/en-za/118401

For Android you can either pay for a person on their own Google Play account, give them the money directly, or buy a Google Play gift card. These are available from many leading retailers such as the iStore, Pick ‘n Pay or Checkers. You can also buy gift cards online at eGifts24: https://www.egifts24.co.za/app-store-itunes-code/?srsltid=AfmBOoqGJPUmltYETb9MXzmyOcwMKZjGYQDsyYwTgIwSDfnzIG3iwGA9

 If you couldn’t find what you were looking for, let us know. Whether it’s about the app, a tree you’ve spotted, or anything tree-related, we’re always happy to hear from you.  – Get in touch

Start treasuring South Africa’s trees today

Every walk, drive or botanical garden visit can become a mini adventure. Download TheTreeApp and begin noticing, identifying and treasuring the trees around you. 

Download TheTreeApp