# NCSU Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox Scraper (`jungle_synthesizer/ncsu-extension-gardener-plant-toolbox-scraper`) Actor Scrape the NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox (~6,500 plants). Extracts 50+ structured fields per plant: scientific name, common names, USDA zones, light/soil/water needs, bloom traits, leaf/fruit data, landscape uses, wildlife attraction, poison severity, edibility, propagation, and images. - **URL**: https://apify.com/jungle\_synthesizer/ncsu-extension-gardener-plant-toolbox-scraper.md - **Developed by:** [BowTiedRaccoon](https://apify.com/jungle_synthesizer) (community) - **Categories:** Developer tools, Education - **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, NaN bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing Pay per event This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events. Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event ## What's an Apify Actor? Actors are a software tools running on the Apify platform, for all kinds of web data extraction and automation use cases. In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours, and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store. In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server. Actors are written with capital "A". ## How to integrate an Actor? If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects. You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready. The best way to integrate Actors is as follows. In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js.md): ```bash npm install apify-client ``` In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python.md): ```bash pip install apify-client ``` In shell scripts, use [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): ````bash # MacOS / Linux curl -fsSL https://apify.com/install-cli.sh | bash # Windows irm https://apify.com/install-cli.ps1 | iex ```bash In AI frameworks, you might use the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp.md). If your project is in a different language, use the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md). For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below. For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt). # README ## NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox Scraper Scrapes plant records from the [NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/). Returns 50+ structured fields per plant — scientific name, common names, USDA hardiness zones, light and soil requirements, bloom traits, toxicity data, wildlife attraction, and gallery images — across the full ~6,500-plant database. --- ### NC State Plant Toolbox Scraper Features - Extracts 50+ fields per plant record, including numerical height and width ranges in decimal feet - Collects taxonomic data: scientific name, genus, species, family, cultivar, phonetic spelling - Returns USDA hardiness zone ranges, light requirements, soil drainage, texture, and pH preferences - Captures bloom color, bloom season, flower description, and gardener value ratings - Extracts toxicity information — poisonous parts, severity, symptoms — plus edibility notes - Returns wildlife attraction lists (pollinators, birds, butterflies) and pest resistance data - Collects landscape use categories, landscape themes, and recommended propagation strategies - Discovers all plant URLs from the sitemap — no search queries, no pagination to manage - No proxies required. The site is clean SSR with no bot detection. --- ### What Can You Do With NC State Plant Toolbox Data? - **Horticulture researchers** — build searchable plant databases with structured trait data for academic or extension projects - **Landscape architects** — filter plants by hardiness zone, light requirements, and mature size to generate site-appropriate plant palettes - **App developers** — power plant identification, garden planning, or companion planting tools with authoritative USDA-aligned data - **Educators** — export plant records for curriculum materials, field guides, or interactive botanical learning tools - **Nursery operators** — feed plant data into inventory systems or customer-facing product descriptions - **Toxicology and safety teams** — extract poison severity and symptom data for plant safety databases used in pediatric or veterinary contexts --- ### How NC State Plant Toolbox Scraper Works 1. Fetches the site's XML sitemap and filters to plant detail pages — roughly 6,500 URLs total 2. Crawls each plant page using a Cheerio-based HTML crawler 3. Parses the `dt`/`dd` key-value trait table on each page into a structured field map 4. Writes one record per plant with all extracted fields to the dataset --- ### Input ```json { "maxItems": 100 } ```` | Field | Type | Default | Description | |-------|------|---------|-------------| | `maxItems` | integer | — | Maximum number of plant records to scrape. Leave blank to scrape all (~6,500 plants). Prefill: 10. | *** ### NC State Plant Toolbox Scraper Output Fields ```json { "id_plant": "hydrangea-paniculata", "scientific_name": "Hydrangea paniculata", "common_names": ["Panicle Hydrangea", "Pee Gee Hydrangea"], "family": "Hydrangeaceae", "genus": "Hydrangea", "species": "paniculata", "cultivar": null, "phonetic_spelling": "hy-DRAN-jee-uh pan-ick-yoo-LAY-tuh", "description": "Panicle hydrangea is a large deciduous shrub...", "plant_type": ["Shrub"], "habit_form": ["Arching", "Multi-stemmed"], "native_to": ["China", "Japan"], "usda_hardiness_zones": "3a-8b", "height_min_ft": 8.0, "height_max_ft": 15.0, "width_min_ft": 6.0, "width_max_ft": 12.0, "growth_rate": "Rapid", "maintenance": "Low", "light": ["Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)", "Partial shade"], "soil_drainage": ["Moist"], "soil_texture": ["Clay", "Loam", "Sand"], "soil_ph": ["Acid", "Neutral"], "water_use": "Medium", "bloom_color": ["White"], "bloom_time": ["Summer", "Fall"], "bloom_description": "The flowers appear in large conical panicles...", "flower_value_to_gardener": ["Attractive Flowers", "Cut Flowers", "Dried Flowers"], "leaf_color": ["Green"], "leaf_type": "Broadleaf", "leaf_arrangement": "Opposite", "fall_color": ["Red/Burgundy"], "fruit_type": "Capsule", "fruit_value_to_gardener": [], "stem_bark": "Bark color: Gray; Bark description: Peeling, cinnamon-brown", "landscape_uses": ["Foundation", "Hedge", "Specimen"], "landscape_themes": ["Cottage Garden", "Pollinator Garden"], "attracts": ["Bees", "Butterflies"], "resistant_to": ["Deer"], "problems": [], "poisonous_parts": [], "poison_severity": null, "poison_symptoms": null, "edibility": null, "propagation": ["Stem tip cuttings"], "cultivars_varieties": ["Limelight", "Pinky Winky", "Quick Fire", "Vanilla Strawberry"], "tags": ["NC", "Extension", "shrub"], "image_urls": ["https://s3.amazonaws.com/..."], "toolbox_url": "https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/hydrangea-paniculata/" } ``` | Field | Type | Description | |-------|------|-------------| | `id_plant` | string | NCSU toolbox slug used as primary key | | `scientific_name` | string | Full scientific name | | `common_names` | array | List of common names | | `family` | string | Plant family | | `genus` | string | Genus | | `species` | string | Species epithet | | `cultivar` | string | Cultivar name, if this is a cultivar page | | `phonetic_spelling` | string | Phonetic pronunciation of the scientific name | | `description` | string | Full descriptive text for the plant | | `plant_type` | array | Plant types (e.g. Perennial, Shrub, Tree) | | `habit_form` | array | Growth habit descriptors (e.g. Arching, Erect) | | `native_to` | array | Country or region of origin | | `usda_hardiness_zones` | string | USDA Plant Hardiness Zone range (e.g. 3a-8b) | | `height_min_ft` | number | Minimum height in decimal feet | | `height_max_ft` | number | Maximum height in decimal feet | | `width_min_ft` | number | Minimum width in decimal feet | | `width_max_ft` | number | Maximum width in decimal feet | | `growth_rate` | string | Growth rate descriptor | | `maintenance` | string | Maintenance level (Low, Medium, High) | | `light` | array | Light requirements | | `soil_drainage` | array | Soil drainage preferences | | `soil_texture` | array | Soil texture preferences | | `soil_ph` | array | Soil pH preferences | | `water_use` | string | Water use or moisture requirement descriptor | | `bloom_color` | array | Flower/bloom colors | | `bloom_time` | array | Bloom seasons or months | | `bloom_description` | string | Descriptive text about the flowers | | `flower_value_to_gardener` | array | Flower values (e.g. Attractive Flowers, Attracts Pollinators) | | `leaf_color` | array | Leaf colors | | `leaf_type` | string | Leaf type descriptor | | `leaf_arrangement` | string | Leaf arrangement on stem | | `fall_color` | array | Deciduous fall leaf colors | | `fruit_type` | string | Fruit type descriptor | | `fruit_value_to_gardener` | array | Fruit display, harvest time, or color descriptors | | `stem_bark` | string | Combined stem and bark description | | `landscape_uses` | array | Landscape location uses | | `landscape_themes` | array | Landscape themes | | `attracts` | array | Wildlife this plant attracts | | `resistant_to` | array | Conditions or threats this plant resists | | `problems` | array | Known problems (e.g. Poisonous to Humans) | | `poisonous_parts` | array | Poisonous plant parts | | `poison_severity` | string | Toxicity severity rating | | `poison_symptoms` | string | Poisoning symptom description | | `edibility` | string | Edibility notes | | `propagation` | array | Recommended propagation strategies | | `cultivars_varieties` | array | Known cultivar/variety names for this species | | `tags` | array | Hashtag labels from the toolbox | | `image_urls` | array | Plant gallery image URLs | | `toolbox_url` | string | Canonical URL of the plant toolbox page | *** ### 🔍 FAQ #### How do I scrape the NC State plant database? NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox Scraper handles discovery automatically. Set `maxItems` to limit the run, or leave it blank to scrape all ~6,500 plants. No API key, no login. #### What data can I get from the NC State Plant Toolbox? NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox Scraper returns 50+ fields per plant: taxonomy, USDA zones, dimensional data in decimal feet, bloom traits, soil and light requirements, toxicity ratings, wildlife attraction data, landscape uses, and gallery images. It's the full record, not a summary. #### How much does NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox Scraper cost to run? Pricing is per data record. A full scrape of ~6,500 plants runs well within a reasonable budget at the default coefficient. Scraping a subset — say 500 plants for a regional project — costs proportionally less. #### Does NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox Scraper need proxies? No. The NC State Plant Toolbox is a clean server-rendered site with no bot detection. The scraper hits it at a measured pace without residential proxy overhead. #### Can I filter to specific plant types or zones? NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox Scraper does not filter during scraping — it collects all plants and returns the full field set. Filter after export using `plant_type`, `usda_hardiness_zones`, or `light` fields in your downstream tooling. *** ### Need More Features? Need custom filters, additional fields, or a different plant database? [File an issue](https://console.apify.com/actors/issues) or get in touch. ### Why Use NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox Scraper? - **Authoritative source** — NC State Extension is a land-grant university program; data reflects peer-reviewed horticultural standards, not user submissions - **Depth over breadth** — 50+ structured fields per record, including numerical dimensions and granular toxicity data, means less cleanup and more usable output from the first run - **No friction** — no proxies, no authentication, no API quota to manage # Actor input Schema ## `sp_intended_usage` (type: `string`): Please describe how you plan to use the data extracted by this crawler. ## `sp_improvement_suggestions` (type: `string`): Provide any feedback or suggestions for improvements. ## `sp_contact` (type: `string`): Provide your email address so we can get in touch with you. ## `maxItems` (type: `integer`): Maximum number of plant records to scrape. Leave blank to scrape all (~6,500 plants). ## Actor input object example ```json { "sp_intended_usage": "Describe your intended use...", "sp_improvement_suggestions": "Share your suggestions here...", "sp_contact": "Share your email here...", "maxItems": 10 } ``` # Actor output Schema ## `results` (type: `string`): No description # API You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup. ## JavaScript example ```javascript import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client'; // Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token // Replace the '' with your token const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '', }); // Prepare Actor input const input = { "sp_intended_usage": "Describe your intended use...", "sp_improvement_suggestions": "Share your suggestions here...", "sp_contact": "Share your email here...", "maxItems": 10 }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("jungle_synthesizer/ncsu-extension-gardener-plant-toolbox-scraper").call(input); // Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any) console.log('Results from dataset'); console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`); const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems(); items.forEach((item) => { console.dir(item); }); // 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs ``` ## Python example ```python from apify_client import ApifyClient # Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token # Replace '' with your token. client = ApifyClient("") # Prepare the Actor input run_input = { "sp_intended_usage": "Describe your intended use...", "sp_improvement_suggestions": "Share your suggestions here...", "sp_contact": "Share your email here...", "maxItems": 10, } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("jungle_synthesizer/ncsu-extension-gardener-plant-toolbox-scraper").call(run_input=run_input) # Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any) print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"]) for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items(): print(item) # 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start ``` ## CLI example ```bash echo '{ "sp_intended_usage": "Describe your intended use...", "sp_improvement_suggestions": "Share your suggestions here...", "sp_contact": "Share your email here...", "maxItems": 10 }' | apify call jungle_synthesizer/ncsu-extension-gardener-plant-toolbox-scraper --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=jungle_synthesizer/ncsu-extension-gardener-plant-toolbox-scraper", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "NCSU Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox Scraper", "description": "Scrape the NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox (~6,500 plants). Extracts 50+ structured fields per plant: scientific name, common names, USDA zones, light/soil/water needs, bloom traits, leaf/fruit data, landscape uses, wildlife attraction, poison severity, edibility, propagation, and images.", "version": "0.1", "x-build-id": "B4Jo53IHvJpLUH4dj" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/jungle_synthesizer~ncsu-extension-gardener-plant-toolbox-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-jungle_synthesizer-ncsu-extension-gardener-plant-toolbox-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/jungle_synthesizer~ncsu-extension-gardener-plant-toolbox-scraper/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-jungle_synthesizer-ncsu-extension-gardener-plant-toolbox-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK", "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/jungle_synthesizer~ncsu-extension-gardener-plant-toolbox-scraper/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-jungle_synthesizer-ncsu-extension-gardener-plant-toolbox-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } } }, "components": { "schemas": { "inputSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "sp_intended_usage": { "title": "What is the intended usage of this data?", "minLength": 1, "type": "string", "description": "Please describe how you plan to use the data extracted by this crawler." }, "sp_improvement_suggestions": { "title": "How can we improve this crawler for you?", "minLength": 1, "type": "string", "description": "Provide any feedback or suggestions for improvements." }, "sp_contact": { "title": "Contact Email", "minLength": 1, "type": "string", "description": "Provide your email address so we can get in touch with you." }, "maxItems": { "title": "Max Items", "type": "integer", "description": "Maximum number of plant records to scrape. Leave blank to scrape all (~6,500 plants)." } } }, "runsResponseSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "data": { "type": "object", "properties": { "id": { "type": "string" }, "actId": { "type": "string" }, "userId": { "type": "string" }, "startedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "finishedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "status": { "type": "string", "example": "READY" }, "meta": { "type": "object", "properties": { "origin": { "type": "string", "example": "API" }, "userAgent": { "type": "string" } } }, "stats": { "type": "object", "properties": { "inputBodyLen": { "type": "integer", "example": 2000 }, "rebootCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "restartCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "resurrectCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "computeUnits": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "options": { "type": "object", "properties": { "build": { "type": "string", "example": "latest" }, "timeoutSecs": { "type": "integer", "example": 300 }, "memoryMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 1024 }, "diskMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 2048 } } }, "buildId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultKeyValueStoreId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultDatasetId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultRequestQueueId": { "type": "string" }, "buildNumber": { "type": "string", "example": "1.0.0" }, "containerUrl": { "type": "string" }, "usage": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 1 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "usageTotalUsd": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "usageUsd": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } } } } } } } } } ```