Starfield plants explained: All types & how to scan

Rajarshi Acharya
Giant gas planet in Starfield with rings

Starfield has several planets for you to explore, and you’re bound to come across a ton of different plants and animals. Here’s everything you need to know about plants in Starfield including all the different types and how to scan them.

Starfield has a massive world with over 1000 planets to explore, featuring procedurally generated content alongside pre-built locations. In such a large open-world game, you’ll need all the information you can get about the various lifeforms you’ll encounter.

When you explore a planet, your ship provides you with information about the flora and fauna that exists on it. You’re equipped with a special visor to record everything you come across on the planet. Most planets that support life in Starfield are bound to have plants, so you can scan and gather them.

Here’s everything you need to know about plants in Starfield.

starfield alien planet wildlife
You can discover exotic flora in Starfield.

What are plants used for in Starfield?

You can use planets to get different organic materials and resources. This feature is familiar to players who’ve used plants for alchemy to make useful potions in Elder Scrolls games like Skyrim, or new food recipes in the Fallout games. Starfield has a dedicated hydroponics system in place that you can use for your outposts.

How to scan plants in Starfield

When you spot a new plant in Starfield, you can use your scanning tool to record all the details about it.

Your character gains experience points when scanning alien life for the first time. By using the local flora, fauna, and resources to your advantage, you can upgrade your outposts and create a reliable source of income.

Although you can scan all types of plants in Starfield, you can’t collect them all. Whenever you scan a plant in Starfield, here are the details that are shown to you:

  • Resource
  • Biomes
  • Genetics
  • Reproduction

That was all all you need to know about plants in Starfield. For more on the game, check out:

Starfield: 10 things the game doesn’t tell you | Does Starfield have mod support at launch? | Does Starfield have New Game Plus? | Is Starfield on Steam Deck? | Does Starfield have DLC or expansions | Starfield Outposts explained: How to build bases | Every religion in Starfield explainedWho is the Adoring Fan in Starfield? | Starfield jail system explained