In this study, different machine learning (ML) methods were used to classify medicinal and aromatic plants (MAP) namely St. John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum L.), Melissa (Melissa officinalis L.), Echinacea (Echinacea purpurea L.), Thyme (Thymus sp.) and Mint (Mentha angustifolia L.) based on leaf shape, gray and fractal features. Naive Bayes Classifier (NBC), Classification and Regression Tree (CART), K-Nearest Neighbor (KNN), and Probabilistic Neural Network (PNN) classification were used as methods. The results indicated that plant species were successfully recognized the average of correct classification rate. The best classification rate on the NBC was taken: training data for classification rate 98.39% and test data classification rate for 98.00% are obtained. ML could be accurate tools for MAP classification tasks.

As a result of technological advancements, the increase in vast amounts of data in today's world has made artificial intelligence and data mining significantly crucial. In this context, the clustering process, which aims to explore hidden patterns and meaningful relationships within complex datasets by grouping similar features to conduct more effective analyses, holds vital importance. As an alternative to classical clustering methods that face challenges such as large volumes of data and computational complexities, a metaheuristic clustering method utilizing Coot Optimization (COOT), a swarm intelligence-based algorithm, has been proposed. COOT, inspired by the hunting stages of eagles and recently introduced into the literature, is a metaheuristic method. Through the proposed COOT metaheuristic clustering method, the aim is to contribute to the literature by leveraging COOT's robust exploration and exploitation processes, utilizing its dynamic and flexible structure. Comprehensive experimental clustering studies were conducted to evaluate the consistency and effectiveness of the COOT-based algorithm using randomly generated synthetic data and the widely used Iris dataset in the literature. The same datasets underwent analysis using the traditional clustering algorithm K-Means, renowned for its simplicity and computational speed, for comparative purposes. The performance of the algorithms was assessed using cluster validity measures such as Silhouette Global, Davies-Bouldin, Krznowski-Lai, and Calinski-Harabasz indices, along with the Total Squared Error (SSE) objective function. Experimental results indicate that the proposed algorithm performs clustering at a competitive level with K-Means and shows potential, especially in multidimensional datasets and real-world problems. Despite not being previously used for clustering purposes, the impressive performance of COOT in some tests compared to the K-Means algorithm showcases its success and potential to pioneer different studies aimed at expanding its usage in the clustering domain.